Growing Up Anderson
by pseudonymitous
Summary: AU spinoff of 'So We're Besties'- one shots revolving around Auggie, Annie, their two sons and any other family at various points in time. I don't own this. Latest: Ch. 28, 'Neshama Part One'
1. The Pressure

Billy Anderson was seven when he got a new baby brother. From what he understood, his mom had the baby too early, which was why they had to stay in Illinois with Grandma way longer than they originally planned. Initially they were only going to be there for Christmas, but his brother was born on December 23 and that kind of threw everything off. Billy would, for as long as he lived, remember that Christmas not as the one when he got a brother, but as the Christmas his mom and dad weren't there to celebrate.

When his parents first introduced him to Evan, they explained that Evan was like Daddy in that he couldn't see. Billy absorbed this information gradually. In his seven year old mind, he'd believed that only grown ups could be blind. He didn't know why he thought this- even at seven it didn't seem particularly logical, but the idea that someone could be _born _blind boggled his mind. It made him feel protective of his new sibling. Evan was tiny and he cried a lot, but Billy found it hard to fault him.

As they got older, Billy learned that Evan was not the kind of person who needed protecting. In the grand tradition of their parents, Evan grew to be whip-smart and sharp-tongued. Though he couldn't care less about computers, he hungrily took advantage of his father's technology. By time he was eight, Evan had received more (deserved) discipline from their parents than Billy had at fifteen.

"He's our problem child," their mother once said in a sing-song voice after catching Evan snooping on their dad's confidential work stuff. If it was in the house and it was in Braille, Evan was reading it. Even as a child Evan's life mission seemed to be to know everything about everything, converting knowledge into his own personal fifth sense.

Though Evan and his father could have become inseparable, living in their own personal world of gadgets and adaptation, such was not the case. The two butted heads on nearly everything. If Auggie showed Evan a trick for how to do something, Evan would turn around and attempt the task every other possible way. This included: folding money in a wallet to distinguish the type of bill, using the stove, navigating public transit, and stairs. Yes, this resulted in five missed bus connections, innumerable stair-induced bruises, a couple nasty burns and the time he accidentally stocked his wallet with ones instead of fives and tens and ended up having to play the blind card on a date, but hey, it was trial and error.

"Adaptation is science," he insisted once, as Billy drove him home from a bus station in Baltimore. "The variable is everything, and the constant is that I can't see shit."

There was a lot Billy Anderson could say about being Evan's older brother, but the main perk was this: he took a lot of the pressure off.


	2. Mac and Cheese

Annie came home late to a quiet house. The lights were out in the front hallway as she shed her coat and other trappings. There was a blue glow coming from the den, and she entered, ready to bust whoever was up late watching TV. Rather, she found all three of her boys asleep in a pile on the sofa.

Evan was in his jammies, the dinosaur ones Mike and Dani gave him for his fifth birthday. He was obsessed with dinosaurs. Annie reasoned that it was probably because the dinosaurs were his most hands-on toys, featuring all kinds of textures and shapes and sounds. Auggie insisted they were Evan's favorite because dinosaurs were allowed to be terrible and they never answered to anybody. Evan had been ecstatic about the pajamas, which featured a simple silkscreen print and a plasticky cartoon triceratops on the front of the shirt. Even though he couldn't see the dinosaurs, he knew they were there.

Billy was wearing flannel pants and one of Auggie's t-shirts, this one from Operation Iraqi Freedom. His glasses slipped down his nose as he snoozed, and a Hardy Boys book lay at his feet. It was funny, Billy choosing to read while his dad and brother watched TV. She hoped his glasses wouldn't develop into a coke bottle prescription, but for now they were only needed for reading.

And then there was Auggie. His hair was rumpled, he already needed a shave, and his shirtsleeves were rolled up. He looked very much the super dad tonight, still in the majority of his work clothes after midnight.

Annie turned off the blaring television, sat down in the nearby armchair and just looked at them for a moment. Despite having lighter hair in childhood, Billy's hair was now the same brown as his father's. He had grown into his big brown eyes somewhat, though the reading glasses magnified them to puppy-like proportions. He looked very much like photos of his father at his age, with the same floppy hair and warm smile, though puberty was already starting to hit him hard. One of the perks of having two blind guys in the house was that they wouldn't hesitate to comment if you smelled like B.O., so Billy had that going for him. He was already good with computers and he could read Braille, which came in handy when Annie needed the use of her computer. Billy was their sweet boy.

Evan was their challenge. He was born in defiance of the odds, and that was how he lived his life. First he defied the growth charts, having reached and exceeded average stature for his age. Annie recognized his height from her sister and Auggie's late father, and it worried her that he might surpass them all one day. Second, he defied authority. Billy was the kind of child to whom you could speak firmly and expect a complete behavioral turnaround. Evan was like his mother. "You could spank him black and blue and he'd turn around and do it all again," Annie's sister-in-law Sarah had laughed. Her youngest was that way, too. It was typical for the youngest to be that way. Annie knew this because she'd read every parenting book on the market. But there was a part of her, a huge part, that admired her baby's tenacity. He was a go-getter, brilliant and he viewed obstacles as optional. Yes, they butted heads, but Auggie and Annie were tremendously proud of all that he was becoming.

Evan didn't have the coloring of either of his parents- so far, he was a direct mix of Danielle and Auggie's brother Rob. Fair skin, blue-green eyes, with slight wave to his strawberry blonde hair and a mess of freckles. But he looked like Auggie sometimes. The way he smiled and laughed, already imitating his father's blind jokes with the greatest of ease and impeccable timing. He had those crater-deep dimples, that nervous habit of nibbling the inside of his lip. The other day, Annie caught him uttering the phrase "ladies love a blind guy" after some women fawned over him at the grocery store. It was hilarious.

At some point, Auggie realized she was there.

"Hey," he said, trying not to disturb the boys. "What time is it?"

"After midnight," she whispered, moving to kiss him on the forehead. "What'd you guys do for dinner?"

"Mac and cheese," Auggie said. "Evan wanted to wait up for you, so we came down here around seven... I guess they crashed."

Annie regarded their silly, sprawled positions. "Like frat boys at rush."

"I'll take Billy, you take Evan?"

Annie nodded and moved Billy's book off the floor and to the coffee table. Even at twelve, Billy was light enough to carry, and Auggie scooped him up. Annie gently pulled Evan into her arms, where he curled up like an armadillo.

"You're home," he murmured into her blouse as they were halfway up the stairs.

"Yeah, baby," she murmured back, stroking his hair.

"Mommy?"

"Mm-hm?"

"Daddy doesn't know how to make macaroni and cheese."


	3. Independence

Evan lay on his bed, listening to the ticking clock. When Billy left for college, Evan had moved into his bedroom and nobody had bothered to take the clock down. It was completely useless and noisy, but in this moment, it gave him something to do. His father and mother were duking it out downstairs, having intentionally moved the discussion to Auggie's home office so Evan couldn't hear. He knew they were deciding on a punishment.

Evan wouldn't even be in trouble if he hadn't gotten caught, and he wouldn't have been caught if he wasn't sloppy. He'd come home drunk before, but this was the first time he'd snuck out to get there. He was already grounded over another incident that wasn't even worth mentioning. Auggie had promised to be up in five minutes to talk with him, and Evan was entertaining himself with counting the ticks of the clock. He felt his watch to see if he was close. One whole minute off? The hell he was. The wall clock had to be broken.

There was a soft knock. "Evan?"

"Sorry, there's no Evan here," Evan said. "Can I take a message?"

Auggie entered anyway. Evan could practically hear his irritation.

"You and Mom decide how to nail up my coffin?" Evan asked, sitting up. He felt the mattress dip as his father took a seat on the edge of it.

"I think you and I have a lot to talk about," Auggie said in his work voice. "Let's take a walk."

...

"The blind leading the blind," Evan said as he and his father tap-tapped to the park near their house. "The Bible says something about that, right?"

"I swear if you start, you will get the back of my hand," Auggie said in a voice that was thoroughly unamused. "I am up to here with you."

"Up to where?" Evan couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. To his surprise, his dad stopped, grabbed his son's hand and yanked it to shoulder height.

"Fucking _there," _Auggie snarled. "Do you have any idea the scare you gave your mother?"

"Dad, relax," Evan started, but Auggie cut him off.

"You climbed out of a second story window without a ladder, took off in the middle of the night, did God knows what at a stranger's party, came home completely wasted and you didn't think anyone would notice!" Auggie snapped, reminding Evan of his past life as GI Joe or whatever. "Are you mentally _deficient?" _

"Easy Dad, come on," Evan said. "I went to a party. You're telling me you didn't party when you were seventeen?"

"I wasn't blind when I was seventeen," Auggie said pointedly.

"This again?" Evan griped. "If anything, it was safer because I wasn't driving."

"That's a load of shit and you know it," Auggie said. "And anyway, my parents weren't in my line of work when I was seventeen. Your mother and I can't have our kids going out and getting arrested. Do you have any idea how it would look if you got an MIP?"

"I'm sorry, pops, is this about me or your bureaucratic vacuum of a career?"

"Watch yourself," Auggie growled, sending a shiver down Evan's spine like he'd never admit. "You broke the law and you're lucky I haven't put bars on your windows."

"Dare ya," Evan said.

Auggie stopped, and he held out a hand to stop Evan, too. "Listen up. Your mother and I love you very much. And, admittedly, we worry about you. I know you want to be a normal teenager, whatever that means, but this act ends here. You have to earn respect, Evan, and you get it by giving it. You want bars on your windows, fine. I can do that. But I'd prefer to talk to you man-to-man without you turning around and going against everything we'd just discussed."

"Dad..." Evan's voice was softer now.

"Ev, I think you and I both need to cool off. You want your independence, you got it. But your mother would like you home for dinner at six thirty."

With that Auggie left, cane leading the way. Evan stood in that spot in the park for a long time before finally giving up and heading home.


	4. Home Alone

Annie was just about ready to leave. She regarded her sons, eating cereal at the table, casually pretending they weren't waiting for their parents to exit. Annie was accompanying Auggie to Istanbul for the jazz festival, and they were leaving Billy in charge. After all, he was nineteen now, on summer break from Harvard, and Evan was twelve. After much ado, Auggie had made a strong case for Billy's ability to reign in his little brother and keep the house in order, and Annie had the naivete to believe him.

"All right, the carry on's all packed," Auggie said, coming downstairs.

"Okay, great," Annie said. "Do you have the passports?"

"Right here," Billy said, sliding the pair of them across the kitchen table.

"See? So helpful," Auggie laughed.

"I made a transfer to your checking account this morning," Annie told Billy, bending over to give her son a kiss on the forehead. "That should last you the long weekend."

"No cash?" Evan charmed.

"No cash," Annie echoed, giving him a kiss as well. "I love you, Monkey."

"Love you too, Mom," Evan mumbled.

"Love you, Buddy," she told Billy, ruffling his hair. "You have Doctor Burke's number in case something-"

"546-8391," Evan said. "Nothing is going to happen. Go to Constantinople."

"Istanbul," Auggie corrected with a smirk.

"I've heard it both ways," Evan retorted with the exact same smirk.

"Don't forget to put out the trash and recycling on Monday," Auggie reminded them.

"We won't, Dad," Billy sighed.

"You are a gentleman and a scholar," Auggie joked. "Later."

"Later," his sons echoed.

As soon as the door closed and the car left the driveway, Evan turned to Billy.

"So what's the plan?"

Billy laughed at his twelve year old brother. "There is no plan."

"Come on, college boy. What shenanigans await?"

"What have you been smoking?"

"What have _you _been smoking?" Evan shot back. "We have the house to ourselves!"

"Did you just see Risky Business or something?" Billy asked.

"Things have been so lame with you away," Evan admitted.

"Are you admitting you missed me?" Billy teased.

"I missed having someone to drive me around," Evan laughed.

"Yeah," Billy laughed. "I guess I missed you too."


	5. Opportunity

When Auggie first learned that Evan was going to be blind, he experienced a unique cocktail of emotions he could only accurately liken to being hit by a train. He wondered, against his own best judgment, if he and Annie could do it. He remembered the moments when he wallowed over never being able to see his kids' faces. The fact that his kid would never be able to see anything really put that in perspective. Auggie Anderson always gave his best efforts to living life without pity, but that was as a blind man. It felt odd knowing that he now joined the ranks of parents of disabled kids. All the adaptation Auggie had encountered and pursued after losing his sight was completely different from raising a child blind from birth.

To his surprise, Evan didn't want any help. He was fiercely independent, social and charming from day one. He was rough and tumble, he ran at challenges head-on. When he bumped into something or hurt himself, he just shook it off. It was as if he preferred injury to assistance. A child psychologist once told them that individuals who were blind from birth, but raised in a family that treated them normally, often didn't see themselves as blind. Auggie figured that had to be Evan's perspective on things. In a family where Braille and technology were readily accessible, where the sighted members were already used to living with a blind guy, Evan was able to thrive and be treated like any other kid.

"He's like a tiny version of you," Annie said once.

Auggie had been horrified. For the first time he was confronted with a blind guy as stubborn as he was. Evan made friends as quickly as he made jokes. He lived his life putting people at ease. Auggie recognized this as his own personal coping mechanism, and it made him nervous to think that his boy was imitating him. What if he fucked up?

As they fast discovered, Auggie fucking up wouldn't have made any difference. They were constantly in the principal's office at the school for the blind, to the point where they realized Evan was failing out on purpose because he wanted to go to "regular school."

"What has gotten into him?" Auggie griped.

"He's not being challenged enough," Annie said, with a mix of horror and amusement.

No matter what they did, Evan was utterly and completely Evan. He loved comic books, particularly DareDevil, whom he once emulated on a dare from the neighbor kid and ended up breaking his arm. While that should have deterred him, it didn't. He specifically requested people write obscenities on his cast, and then feigned ignorance when Annie demanded to know where they came from.

"What are you talking about? Is there something bad written there?" he asked with pitch-perfect ignorance. "I can't see."

Everyone knew what to expect from Evan- the unexpected. But the most unexpected moment of all came a few months after his eighteenth birthday.

Evan sat on one side of the dining room table, his parents sat on the other. It was the table at which they'd administered a thousand groundings, but this time it was Evan who'd called them there, and Auggie was cold with fear.

"You're probably wondering what was so important," Evan said. His voice was soft, almost nervous. Annie squeezed Auggie's hand under the table. "Uh, thanks for making the time, by the way."

Auggie was disturbed by how out-of-character this meeting seemed. "Yeah, I'll admit I'm curious. What's up?"

Evan cleared his throat. "Well, now that I'm eighteen..."

"No tattoos," Annie blurted.

"Mom, please."

"Sorry. Continue."

"Now that I'm eighteen, I qualify for an experimental procedure. There's a hospital in New Jersey that thinks they've perfected the computerized retina, and Dr. Burke thinks I'm a great candidate."

"A computerized retina..." Auggie repeated, trying to process what his son was telling him.

"There's a chance... That I might... regain my sight."

The air in the room was a thing of the past.

"W-wow," Annie said. "That's quite the opportunity."

"Yeah, it's a pretty big deal to be nominated for something like that," Evan said shyly.

"Remember going into it that there's a chance it might not work," Auggie found himself saying, remembering his own experience with the prospect of sight. "These things aren't guaranteed and I want you to be cautious."

"I know, Dad," Evan said quietly. "And it probably wouldn't give me 20/20 or anything like that."

"Well you know we love you and we support you," Annie said. "And if this is your choice then we're behind you 100%."

"So you think I should do it," Evan said nervously.

Auggie frowned. "What do you mean? I thought you called us here to tell us that's what you're doing."

"I haven't made a decision yet," Evan explained.

"Is it what you want?" Annie asked softly.

"I should want it... right?" Evan asked. His voice was so vulnerable it broke Auggie's heart.

"Oh, sweetie," Annie said. "You have to want it for yourself."

"It would be such a great opportunity, you know, to _see_ stuff," Evan said, as if reciting this bit from a pros-and-cons list.

"But you like how you are," Auggie finished. It was a stab in the dark, but to his surprise, Evan agreed.

"I'm happy," Evan said and he sounded like he meant it. "I got into Dartmouth, like, I'm pretty much set. And then I get this call, and it just makes me question... everything about my life."

"Listen to me," Auggie said seriously. "I know you never take advice from anyone but I need you to hear this. No one has any right to tell you who to be or what to do. You have never in your life changed for anyone and this is sure as hell not the time to start. If you want, really want, a shot at being able to see then your mother and I will support you completely. But if you're as happy as you say you are, don't let a single opportunity bully you into a life you don't want."

Evan was quiet for a very long moment. "Would you still be proud of me?"

Auggie was wounded that his son even had to ask. "Ev, I will be proud of you regardless of what you decide."

For the first time in eighteen years, Auggie had the feeling that he'd done right by Evan.


	6. I Love Lucy

"Mom, I don't _need _a babysitter," Billy griped. "I'm almost nine!"

"I know, sweetheart, but your cousin offered and your dad and I were smart enough to take her up on it." Annie pushed her elder son's hair off his forehead and kissed it. "And anyway it's just Lucy."

Auggie's eldest niece Lucy, a field agent who usually worked the Western European circuit, was touching base at Langley for a few days. While Auggie claimed to know the location of her safehouse, the pair actually had no idea where she was staying. All they knew was she was more than invited to loiter around their house as much as she wanted.

Annie met Lucy when she was only twenty, and it was bizarre to watch her grow. Maybe it was just because they so rarely saw one another- Lucy jumped from being twenty-two to twenty-five overnight, by sheer force of distance. The very thought of her now being in her thirties made Annie a little nauseous.

"We're gonna have a blast!" Lucy insisted. She already had Evan in her arms, dancing him around as he drooled all over her top.

"Ooh," Annie cringed at the slobber. "I'm sorry about that shirt- you can borrow one of mine if you want. There's a teething ring in the freezer if he gets fussy about it."

"It's all good," Lucy shrugged.

Auggie came down the stairs, fully dressed and finally ready to go. "Okay, Anderson party of two, we are out of here. Lucy, the emergency numbers are plugged into the phone already, Billy can help you with stuff in the kitchen-"

"It's pretty straightforward, but don't be alarmed that most of it talks," Annie interjected.

"Embrace the chaos," Auggie joked. "Billy?"

Billy came over and hugged his dad shyly. Auggie put one hand on each of his shoulders and knelt down in front of him.

"Be good for Lucy, okay?" Billy nodded. "I can't hear your head rattle."

"Okay, Dad."

Auggie hugged him, and stood back up. Lucy gave him a side hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"There's wine in the cupboard," Auggie whispered. "Text Annie if you need us. And seriously, help yourself to anything."

"Have fun," Lucy said earnestly.

She waited until both her aunt and uncle were out the door before turning to the boys. "Who wants pizza?"

"Pita," Evan gurgled.

"He calls it pita," Billy translated.

"So what grade are you in?" Lucy asked Billy as she fished the uncooked pizza out of the freezer.

"Third," Billy said shyly.

"Do you like your teacher?"

Billy's eyes lit up. "Mm-hmm. She reads us _Harry Potter." _

"Wow! Wish I had a teacher like that."

"What do you do for a living?" Billy asked seriously.

"I work as a translator for a travel agency."

"Travel agencies are largely obsolete."

Lucy's eyebrows shot up. "Um."

"If you work with Mom and Dad you can just nod," he said nonchalantly.

Lucy nodded slowly. "And clearly I need a new job..."

The oven began to beep frantically.

"Shit!" Lucy said, clutching her chest.

"That is a bad word," Billy said, staring her down.

"I'm sorry. Yeah. Don't say that."

"Daddy can say it because he's a daddy," Billy said. "But nobody else."

"That's smooth," Lucy commented, adjusting Evan on her hip so she could put the pizza into the now preheated oven.

"Do you have a husband?" Billy asked.

Lucy laughed. "Not yet."

"A boyfriend, then?"

"I'm seeing someone. Don't tell your dad."

Billy smirked. "He worries about you."

"He does?" Lucy feigned surprise. "I never would've guessed."

Billy shrugged. "He's a worrier."

"That's why he's with your mom," Lucy said with a wink as Evan began to fuss. "Uh-oh. Could you grab me the teething ring out of the freezer?"

Billy emerged with a ring of Elmo patterned, plastic-cased gunk. As soon as Lucy placed it in Evan's hands, he began to soothe.

"You're an easy baby," Lucy commented. Evan smiled from behind his teething ring. She turned to Billy. "How do you like having a brother?"

She walked to the living room and sat down on the couch so Evan had a bit more room. Billy sat in the armchair.

"It's different," was all Billy had to say.

"Yeah?"

Billy pressed his lips together, searching for the right words. "He almost died, you know."

"Mmhm," Lucy said. "But he's okay now, right?"

"He's just different," Billy said. "Like Dad."

"You worry about him?" Lucy asked.

Billy nodded, lip quivering slightly.

"You wanna know a secret," Lucy said, leaning forward so it was just between them. "I used to worry about your dad too."

"Why?" Billy asked.

"He almost died too, you know."

"What?" Billy gasped.

"But he turned out to be great, right?"

"He's a really good dad," Billy said softly.

"Exactly," Lucy said. "You have nothing to worry about."

Billy nodded slowly.

"I mean look at this kid," Lucy said, acknowledging the adorable Evan, who was rolling around on the couch with the teething ring, making all kinds of noise. "All his life people are going to worry about him. But he's counting on you to be the one person who doesn't. And you don't wanna let him down, right?"

Billy nodded his head solemnly. The timer went off in the kitchen

"Come on, kid. Let's go have some pizza and you can tell me about the teacher you've got the hots for."


	7. Meet The Parents Part 1

"This is a terrible idea."

"What are you talking about? It's a great idea."

Billy sighed. "I don't know... I mean I'm not sure we're ready."

"Not ready?" Evan said incredulously. "Not ready for what? Love? Marriage? Sex?"

"I've had sex," Billy mumbled defensively.

"Yeah," Evan scoffed through the phone. "And this morning I got up early to watch the sun rise."

"The point is," Billy snapped. "Meeting the family is a big step. Michelle and I have only been together a couple months... I just don't know."

"She's lucky to have you, you're lucky to have us, what don't you know?"

"Ev, come on, our family is great and all but you have to admit things can get a little... Weird."

"Weird?" Evan feigned offense. "I beg your pardon. This is the twenty first century, _sir. _Families come in all shapes and-"

"Evan, my gosh, I'm trying to be serious."

"Look. William. Let's just put this whole thing in perspective. Will she be freaked out by the fact that Dad and I are blind? Possibly. Will Mom and Dad run an op on her? Probably. Will it be awkward that my girlfriend is hotter than yours? Definitely-"

"Again, not super helpful..."

"If you like this girl you might as well get this out of the way. And don't feel weird if she decides to leave you once she meets me. I'm an open minded guy- who knows, maybe we could work out some kind of arrangement..."

"Okay, okay, I'll see you Friday."

"I'll make sure Dad cooks."

"Take care."

"Yeah, yeah."

...

Billy was sweating bullets on the drive home. Michelle sat in the front seat with window down, her long dark hair blowing in the breeze of the warm afternoon. They were ten minutes away from the house.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Great," he lied.

"You've got a death grip on that wheel," she laughed. "What, are you nervous?"

"No," he lied again.

"They're _your _parents," she said. "And anyway you've told me so much about them I feel like I already know them."

_Impossible, _Billy thought. _Even I barely know them._

The Anderson house was picture-perfect as always. His parents' steady climb on the government ladder led to a gorgeous pay jump a few years back. Bummer that Billy was already out of college and off the payroll when it happened.

They were at the front door when Billy realized he forgot his key. So he knocked. Like a dork.

"Ev? Get the door!" his mother yelled from inside. There was a skinny window next to the door, which looked directly down the hall and into the dining room. He could see Annie hurriedly setting the table, screaming at Evan in the living room. "Evan, seriously!"

She cussed and he quickly ducked away from the window as he heard her footsteps approaching.

"Hello!" she swung the door open and beamed. She'd cropped her hair since last he saw her. She definitely didn't look her age. "You must be Michelle, I'm Annie, Billy's mother. Come on in!"

"So nice to finally meet you," Michelle said with an equally bright smile. She was so damn cute.

"Can I get you anything?" Annie asked in her CIA wife voice. "A beer? Glass of water, glass of wine? I think we have some Diet Coke in the garage."

"Water's great, thanks," Michelle said. Billy found himself taking her hand in his. She squeezed it and gave him a giddy little grin as they ventured deeper into the house.

Evan and his girlfriend Kat sat on the sofa in the living room, entwined in a weird pile. Her legs were across his lap, his arm around her waist, her head on his shoulder. Those two were always like that, weirdly symbiotic. They'd met in their freshman year at Dartmouth and were going on two years of dating. She was cover-of-Sports-Illustrated hot and Evan had grown to look like a young Chris Pine, so it was no secret how the two of them found each other.

"Hey, guys!" Kat was the first one up. She stood and pulled Evan up with her. "I'm Kat, hi!"

She hugged Michelle first and then Billy. Kat was an extreme extrovert.

"Hi I'm Billy's brother Evan," Evan extended a hand in Michelle's direction. "Nice to meet you. Can I feel your face?"

Kat smacked him. "He's kidding."

"I'm not kidding."

Billy sighed. "He's kidding."

The four of them took a seat on the couch.

"Where's Dad?" Billy asked.

"Cooking?" Evan shrugged. "He should be done soon. Hey Michelle, I hope you're not allergic to blood soup!"

Billy laughed in spite of himself, remembering a family trip to Vietnam when he was sixteen. He watched Michelle pale slightly. Kat reached across Billy and touched Michelle's knee reassuringly.

"He's just an asshole."

"So how'd you guys meet?" Evan asked.

"We're both software designers," Michelle explained. "We actually met because I had some questions about adapting one of our latest products for screen readers, and Billy had some expertise on the matter and voila. How did you guys meet?"

Kat blushed. "I wanted to meet the first blind guy to do three consecutive keg stands."

Michelle was agape. "Three?"

"It was love at first drunken slur," Evan said wistfully. "Although if our parents ask, we met while studying for the LSATs."

"Sure, sure," Michelle laughed.

It was then that Annie emerged with Michelle's water.

"Sorry that took so long. Dinner is served!"

_To Be Continued_


	8. Meet the Parents part 2

Every one was eating in the dining room tonight. As a kid, the dining room had been all but off limits to the boys, an inner sanctum reserved for holidays and grown up parties. Tonight, they were the grown up party and Evan had to admit that he didn't hate it.

"Your dad's at the head of the table, your mom is at the foot and then the four of us are coupled across from each other," Kat whispered as they took their seats. She was super subtle about those little things, which was great because Evan usually forgot to ask and ended up looking like a moron.

His mom had pre plated dinner, which smelled like chicken Parmesan. It was probably his dad's best dish, if you didn't count his preference for cooking bizarre foreign delicacies.

"This chicken Parmesan is delicious," Michelle commented. She was seated in front of him and to the left. Okay.

"You think this is good you should try his black pudding," Evan joked.

"He kids, but it wasn't that bad when I made it," Auggie clarified from his place to Evan's right.

"Billy tells me you guys have travelled all over the world," Michelle said. "What compelled you to spend a year in Turkey?"

Evan could practically hear his mother's smile tighten.

"My work with the Smithsonian takes me all over," Annie said. "As a family we've gotten some really amazing opportunities."

"I never knew you lived in Turkey," Kat said, nudging him.

"I'm an international man of mystery, darling. I unfold one layer at a time."

"So Michelle," Auggie hopped on the back of the diversion just as Evan had hoped. "You work in software design with Billy?"

"I do," Michelle said. "For the last few months my main focus has been on adaptive technology to make things like smart phones easier to use."

"I like the sound of that," Auggie said.

"Gosh, Mr. Anderson I'm sorry but I cannot get over how much Billy looks like you."

Annie feigned offense. "What do you mean, you're sorry?"

"Does he really?" Auggie laughed an excruciating dad-laugh. "Lucky boy."

Evan slid his left hand across the seat of his chair until it found the seat of Kat's. To her credit, she didn't freak out as his hand found her knee. When Evan and Billy were little, their parents used to communicate in morse code when they didn't want the boys to know what they were saying. Kat learned it a million years ago in Girl Scouts, and they tended to use it as the blind equivalent to passing notes.

"This sucks," he tapped.

"I like her," Kat tapped back.

"You like everybody," he tapped in retort.

"You're pushing it," she tapped.

Boy, he loved that woman. If he was being honest he didn't exactly hate Michelle. She smelled great, she was polite and respectful, and she was perfect for Billy. But inviting a civilian to dinner always sucked ass. His parents became different people, the conversation was forced, and even though not even Billy and Evan knew 100% of what their parents did, it all felt plastic.

Now he realized why Billy had been so hesitant, and why his relationship with Kat was always going to be just one conversation shy of 100% honest.


	9. Wedding Bells

Whenever Auggie went long stretches without speaking to his niece, big things happened. Two years- blinded in Iraq. Five years- she dropped out of college and ended up in CIA custody. The in between times had yielded spotty results. 6 months- she was graduating from the Farm. 18 months- Billy was born. But it was the times when he couldn't remember just how much time had passed, that were the strangest of all.

Auggie was walking from the gym up to his office when a pair of high heels fell into step beside him. He attempted to inhale subtly, to place this silent woman's perfume, but he couldn't. She walked confidently, like an agent rather than a secretary or the woman who cleaned the offices after hours. He turned a surprise corner, wondering if he could shake her off, but she remained in stride.

"Either I'm getting good or you're getting rusty," said a familiar smoky voice.

"You changed perfumes," was all he could think to say as his niece embraced him. He felt the crinkle of a trench coat. How very CIA.

"It was a gift actually," Lucy said. "Ylang Ylang. You like?"

"Subtle," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"Housekeeping," she groaned. "But while I'm here I was hoping you and the old lady were available for a drink."

"I'm sure Annie would love to see you!" Auggie said. "Do you want to come over for dinner?"

Lucy paused. "Um... I was hoping we could talk about some stuff... without the boys, if that's okay?"

"Sure," Auggie fumbled. "Five o'clock? Allen's tavern?"

"The famous Allen's," her smile was audible. "You got it, dude."

...

When Lucy walked into the bar, heads turned. Even at thirty-three, she was fit and gorgeous. Her dark brown hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders, and she wore a cinched trench coat over a chic navy blue dress. She looked twenty-five at most, something Annie missed. A lot.

"So what have you been up to?" Annie asked, even though they both knew Lucy couldn't answer that.

"Oh, you know, Europe, Asia, the Middle East," Lucy sipped her bourbon like it was no big deal. "A lot of time in London lately."

It could have been a front, but Lucy was certainly dressed for it.

"What did you come here to ask us?" Auggie cut right to the chase. "Is everything okay at work?"

"Yeah, everything's great," Lucy said evasively.

"But..?"

"I... met somebody."

Auggie blinked. "You met somebody."

"That's great, sweetie!" Annie cheered.

"He should actually be here any minute," Lucy said, eyeing the door.

"You brought a date," Auggie said tightly, trying to mask his irritation.

Lucy waved in the direction of the door, signaling to someone. The man that joined them was tall, dark and handsome. He smiled a slick smile that gave Annie sudden flashbacks to not one ghost from her past, but two.

"Annie, Auggie, this is-"

"Aleph," the man said, extending his hand. Annie shook it.

"Aleph," Auggie repeated. "Nice to meet you."

"How long have you and Lucy been dating?" Annie asked.

"We're engaged, actually," Aleph said, grinning. Lucy squeezed his hand. Annie waited for Auggie to literally fall off his chair.

"That's some of the, uh, housekeeping we're here to take care of," Lucy whispered.

"Where are you from, Aleph?" Annie asked politely.

"Stop dancing around the elephant," Lucy said. "He works for who you think he works for. He was my handler in London, and one thing led to another..."

"Lucy is the love of my life," Aleph said adoringly. "They don't make them like this in Israel."

"But everything's better in Israel," Annie blurted.

"Is it really?" Auggie asked flatly.

"Have you ever been?" Aleph's eyes lit up. "It is beautiful, although I spent much of my childhood in Jordan."

"Israel is gorgeous," Annie agreed. She flashed Lucy a pointed glance.

"Baby, why don't we go get another round," Lucy suggested, following her fiancee to the bar.

As soon as they were gone, Annie turned to her husband. "What in the hell?"

"I know, right?" his nose wrinkled. "Mossad?"

"I was more referring to your spectacular rudeness, but okay."

"How can Lucy be engaged? She barely knows this guy. Isn't dating foreigners against the rules?"

Annie sighed. "I'm sure there are loopholes... Anyway, he's an ally-"

"Because we all know how well that's worked out in the past."

"Hey, at least we know he's in it for the long haul," Annie said with a dry laugh. "A Mossad man never separates from his package."

"What was that?"

"Nothing," she shrugged.

"Okay I have to know- how does this guy check out?"

"You mean physically?"

"Sure."

"Tall, swimmer's build," she bit her lip. "Okay, he's a mix of Jai and Eyal."

"I hate him."

"You don't hate him. You're struggling with Lucy growing up."

"That's damn right," Auggie said.

"Babe, she's an adult. It's time."


	10. On Time

Hey guys- I deleted a chapter awhile back, making this new ch 11, ch 10. Meaning, if you try to comment it will bar you if you commented on the previous chapter.

I am so sorry. It will still let you comment anonymously or privately message me. But I'd love to hear from you.

* * *

"No place like home," Annie said as she, Auggie and the boys arrived at Auggie's parents' house in Glencoe.

"You're not even from Illinois," Auggie snarked.

"You're not getting grumpy already, are you?" Annie teased as Billy handed them each a suitcase.

They hadn't been back in awhile, though they'd tried to come at least once every two years. Auggie's mom Virginia died three years ago, prompting his brother Rob to relocate to the family home. It was the only house, besides their own, in which both Evan and Auggie comfortably abandoned the cane.

"I'm a little swamped with work," Auggie griped.

"We're on vacation," Annie said through gritted teeth.

"We can hear everything you're saying," Billy dryly announced. "It's making us question the stability of our family life."

"But on the bright side," Evan eagerly chimed in. "Two Christmases!"

Billy was 24, with a serious girlfriend whom he'd be joining in the Hamptons as soon as this trip was over. 17 year old Evan was taking a break from raising hell amongst DC trust fund kids and drinking himself to death, to spend some time with his family. Both of them were slowly giving their father an ulcer.

Even before the house was his, Rob was always the first to greet them. Annie couldn't help appreciating how handsome the Anderson men got with age. Their father was a good-looking older man, and he'd passed it along to his five sons. Good skin, good teeth, a bit of salt and pepper. It was a thing to be appreciated.

"August," Rob gave his brother a squeeze.

"Robert," Auggie joked in return.

"Annie, you're prettier every time I see you," Rob said, pulling her in for a hug as well.

"Thanks, Rob," Annie laughed. "You too."

Rob moved on to the boys, feigning stern disappointment. "The last time we spoke, we had a serious discussion about growing. I thought my words resonated, but apparently the conversation was meaningless."

Billy played along. "In our defense, Uncle Rob, I didn't hit my spurt till college, and Evan here has a real problem with authority."

Evan nodded solemnly. "It's true, sir. I'm a damn dirty delinquent."

Annie stifled a laugh at the sight of her baby boys- Evan 6'1 and Billy 6'3, caught in a moment that was 100% pure Auggie.

She turned to share the moment with her husband, but he was gone, along with their bags. Rob's wife Marley rushed in from the backyard, arms open to give Annie a hug.

"Where's Auggie?" she asked, frowning.

"His phone probably went off," Annie said smoothly. "He'll be right back."

...

Auggie sat on the bed, facing the window. A puff of perfume preceded Annie, and closed the door behind her.

"You okay?" Decades of marriage hadn't softened the blunt force of nature that was Annie Walker. She didn't dance around the issue. She knew life was too short.

"I'll manage," Auggie said honestly. He knew life was too short, but he opted to work slowly. She ripped the Band Aid off in one motion. He preferred to run it under some warm water first.

"You just bailed on me out there," she said, sitting down beside him on the bed. "Did I say something wrong?"

Auggie sighed. He told Annie most things, but he'd never fully iterated this particular concern.

"It wasn't you," he said finally. "It was Rob."

"Rob?" Annie sounded truly shocked.

"It made me think about..." he took a pause, as he would if at a loss for words in the middle of an important address. "Time."

"Time," Annie repeated.

"Walker, I have no idea what you look like."

Annie put her hand on the small of his back, almost on the verge of being amused. "You've never known what I look like."

"I don't mean it like that. I mean... Rob said you get prettier every time he sees you. And I don't doubt it for a second. But I have no frame of reference, Annie. I don't know if you've got crow's feet or sun spots. Your thirtieth, fortieth, fiftieth birthdays- those are just theoretical milestones if you can't watch someone grow and change. And it's the same with me. I don't know if my own hair is graying or not. Or if my teeth look all gross and yellow. I can't picture my own face, and that's something I came to terms with back when I still had a general idea but thirty years later? I wish I could comment on things like that in other people. I'm dying to know what everyone looks like now. But I can't."

"I have crow's feet. They're not bad. I put stuff on them. I am nowhere near old enough for sun spots, so you can bite your tongue," Annie said, cupping his cheek in her hand. "You are graying, but in a nice way. Vintage Arthur Campbell, if that means anything. If your teeth were gross, I would've told you. Give me some credit."

She moved so her legs were across his lap, practically on top of him, and kissed him on the lips. "I know you don't think you're qualified to say so, but I know you're attracted to me. There are women whose husbands look right at them every day and don't say so. I know I got lucky."

He kissed her again, running his fingers through her hair and down her neck, past her shoulders and to her waist. He flipped her over onto the bed, stopping suddenly.

"What is it?" she asked, panicked.

"The door's shut, right?"

"Let me lock it."


	11. Billy's New Job

Billy Anderson sat outside a cafe in downtown DC, twenty minutes early and in his best suit. He sipped his coffee at a calculated pace, so as not to get the jitters. He was jittery enough as it was.

Billy spotted the man he was there to meet from a mile away. Tall, broad and familiar. This meeting could decide his fate. He really needed to slow down on the coffee.

Billy extended his hand in greeting, but the man didn't take it.

"I was really hoping it was another William Anderson," Eric Barber sighed.

They sat down at the cafe table, and Eric raked a hand through his hair.

"Is this a joke?" he asked.

"No, sir," Billy said seriously.

"This seems like a joke," Eric continued. "Now, the humor is Agency-specific and I don't find it funny, but a joke nonetheless."

"I got an offer for recruitment," Billy said with a nervous laugh. "I thought you knew."

"I knew we were trying to poach a sharp Ivy League computer geek. I didn't know it was gonna be my fuckin' godson." Eric sighed. "That's bureaucracy for you. When you're on the bottom, they don't tell you anything. When you run the division, they assume you already heard."

"Why would they send the head of the division for a face-to-face?" Billy shot back.

"Because I wanted to verify your identity myself. Oh, yeah, surprise kid. Uncle Eric doesn't work for Geek Squad."

"That was literally never your cover."

"Whatever," Eric snapped.

"So, what, you think I'd be bad at the job?" Billy asked. He was impressed at how quietly they were both talking. No stares from the surrounding patrons.

"You'd be a damn ace," Eric said. "That's the problem."

"How is that a problem?"

"Your mother would castrate me and your father would mount my manhood on the fireplace."

"I'm a grown-ass man, Barber," Billy snapped. His father's voice coming out of his mouth was frightening and out-of-character. "I speak four languages. I'm in top shape. I can code on my dad's old rig if it comes to that. My work speaks for itself. If you think I'm afraid of my parents, you're kidding yourself. Find a better excuse, or I'll take my talents elsewhere."

_Like to the Bureau, _he wanted to bluff. Billy loved Barber, but he would be damned if he wasn't going to defend himself and his talents against this nepotistic hellfire. And if Eric knew Annie and Auggie at all, he'd understand.

"It's a rough life," Eric said finally. His eyes were honest. "I'm supposed to be looking out for you. But I can't knock you down because I worry about you. We'd be lucky to have you."

"Thank you sir," Billy beamed.

Eric extended his hand for a shake, his shirtsleeve exposing the naked lady tattoo on his forearm. Billy tried not to laugh.

"By the way, kid," Barber said as he stood to leave. "No calling me Uncle Eric at work."

"Yes sir," Billy said.

"We'll be in touch to get this whole thing started soon."

"Yes sir." Now all he had to do was figure out how to tell his parents.


	12. Billy's New Job Part 2

It had been two years since Auggie had taken Joan's old position. The job was equal parts nightmare and dream job, and the irony of being married to a strong woman in the Agency was not lost on him. The bright side was, with Annie in Lena Smith's old job, he didn't have to be her boss. Everything was going well, until...

Auggie stormed into Tech Ops, memo in hand, fit for bear.

"Where's Barber?" he demanded.

"He stepped out," squeaked some kid at a computer.

"Well, find him and let him know that if he doesn't step back in in the next five seconds, I will have him deported to Mongolia," Auggie roared. "In the meantime, I will be in his office."

"Yes, sir."

Auggie went into Barber's office and slammed the door behind him. Eric was there within a matter of seconds.

"Auggie," he seemed startled. "What can I do for you?"

"You're fired," Auggie spat.

"Whoa," Barber retreated. "Let's just take a deep breath."

"You recruited my son," Auggie was furious. "My boy."

"Auggie, come on..."

"This Agency is dangerous," Auggie seethed. "I should know. _You _should know."

"It's just Tech Ops," Barber attempted to reason.

"Please. The buck never stops at Tech Ops. Not for a kid like Billy. He's green and he's smart and it's going to be a matter of minutes before he's jonesing for field work. Which means it's all going to fall on my wife. You take a mother's worry and multiply it by a thousand. You saw what happened with-"

"We all saw, Auggie."

"You saw how many assassinations and attempts have affected our family."

"Too many," Barber agreed.

"And yet, here we are."

"I tried to fight him on it," Barber insisted. "Honest."

"You're supposed to be his godfather. You're supposed to protect him."

"That's exactly what I told him. And I got my ass handed to me."

"So you just gave up," Auggie's blood was boiling. He hear his own heartbeat. "Fine. Then you can be the one to tell Annie."

"That isn't fair," Barber said quietly.

"Life's not fucking fair," Auggie spat. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a drone situation to deal with."

The door slammed so hard behind him that he heard a couple of the techies jump. Good. A taste of reality.

...

Billy didn't like playing host, but his girlfriend Michelle loved it. After the shit hit the fan, he decided to have everybody over for dinner to clear the air and explain himself. He was dreading it.

"Before everyone gets here, I want to tell you something important," Billy took Michelle's hand. "And I want to ask you something important."

She wiped her hands on a towel and gave him a coy smile. "Oh, really?"

"You might wanna sit down."

They took a seat at his dining room table, and he took her hand, and everything he wanted to say just dried up. For a moment, he just looked at her. Her perfect skin, those bright lips, the dimple in her left cheek, her warm hazel eyes, those thick dark bangs and hair that grazed her elbows... She was incredible. He didn't want to be the reason she stopped smiling. But he had to do what he never felt his parents did. He had to be completely straightforward with her.

"I've been recruited to the CIA."

Her eyebrows shot up and her jaw went slack. "What? When?"

"I start on Monday."

"Oh honey, that's so exciting!" To his surprise, Michelle threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek.

"Yes, but it's also... complicated."

Her face fell. "Why?"

"No one can know."

She nodded solemnly. "Okay."

"There will always be a part of my life that will remain a complete and total secret."

"Okay," she repeated.

"Are you processing this, or are you genuinely not shocked?"

"I'm processing," she admitted. "Are you breaking up with me?"

Billy reached into his pocket with a shaking hand and pulled out a sapphire ring. "The choice is yours. You can follow me into the cave, or you can run."

"Billy Anderson, I'd follow you anywhere," she said, slipping on the ring and giving him the best kiss of his life. "But your mother is going to be here in an hour and if we announce our engagement over burnt chicken, she might actually kill me."

"Don't burn the peace offering," Billy said warningly.

"What are you guys fighting about, anyway?"

"I'm sure it'll all come out over dinner."


	13. Billy's New Job Part 3

"You brought Kat?" Billy hissed, pulling Evan into the kitchen.

"Since when is my girlfriend not invited?" Evan asked.

Billy frowned. "I am making the most pissed-off face at you right now."

"You paint with words."

"Read the room, asshole," Billy snapped.

"Read me in, asshole," Evan retorted.

"Three major figures in the DPD are sitting in my living room sipping wine and waiting for me to formally announce my employment with the Agency so they finally have an excuse to beat me to death," Billy hissed.

"You work for the CIA?"

"It's a development," Billy said, exasperated. "It's new."

"Tonight there are going to be more covers blown than casting directors during pilot season," Evan mused.

"Yeah, well, I hope everyone enjoys a good exploding head because Mom's is about to splatter all over my dining room wall."

"Why, what else did you do?"

"I proposed to Michelle."

"Oh, dear Lord."

"Yeah."

"If Kat can't hear this-"

"And really, she shouldn't..."

"Then exactly where do you propose I put her?"

"You're the smart one. You think of something."

"But you're the good one. Seeing as this is clearly backwards day, I'm at a loss for protocol."

"Play it up or something. You're the one who once got away with shoplifting a $300 shirt because you pretended to get mixed up in the dressing room."

"I still have that shirt," Evan said proudly. "Should've worn it tonight."

"It's the ugliest shirt in the world."

"It's a sentimental thing. Can't you save this for another night?"

"Uncle Eric and Dad are fighting, Aunt Charlene and Mom don't know why, Michelle thinks I'm the only CIA agent she knows, and Kat still thinks Mom and Dad work for a museum. So I would say we've kind of hit an eleventh hour situation."

"And by that you mean-"

"They may end up killing Kat because she knows too much, yes."

"Well, damn."

"Yeah."

"I mean, we're pretty serious."

"I know."

"The dating pool in Connecticut is pretty tragic."

"You don't want to have to get back out there at this stage."

"I don't. I really don't," Evan broke out laughing first. "I'm sorry. That was a good bit but come on."

"I'm not laughing!" Billy nearly yelled, even though he was totally on the verge. "This is serious!"

"Fine, I'll get her out of here."

"How?"

"Leave it to me," Evan said with a wink.

"You just winked at my fridge."

"Desired effect, Billy. Desired effect."


	14. Billy's New Job Part 4

Billy and Michelle were putting the finishing touches on dinner when his father entered the kitchen.

"Just a heads up, Kat and Evan are having sex in the car."

Billy froze. "Whose car?"

Auggie gave him a charming grin. "Your car." He slapped the doorframe on his way out, as if to illustrate how hilarious he found the situation.

Michelle's cheeks flushed with horrified embarrassment. "Why would he do a thing like that?"

"I should have known not to trust him to 'take care of it,'" Billy snarled, noting the empty key bowl by the door.

"Take care of what? Billy?"

"I don't want Kat here for all of this. She doesn't know about... a lot of things with my family."

"She's been seeing your brother for four years, she practically _is _your family!" Michelle insisted.

"She and Evan are only dating..."

"As of an hour ago, so were we!" Michelle seemed genuinely upset. "I love Kat, and I want her to stay."

Billy heaved a weight-of-the-world sigh. "Fine. Excuse me please."

He walked out to the living room, where his parents, Barber and his wife Charlene were seated.

"All right. Here's the deal. Evan brought his girlfriend to this dinner without asking, and to my knowledge, she's been read in on nothing. So here it is. I have joined the CIA. It was my decision, I pushed it and I know it's no one's first choice but I'm excited and it's what I want. Having understood the implications of said decision, I read in my lovely girlfriend Michelle, who has spent the entire day in that kitchen trying to prepare an amazing dinner that you will all eat and graciously compliment regardless of taste, temperature or allergies. She was exceptionally understanding. She is now my fiancee."

Stunned silence from all.

"Now, before Evan and Kat get back from doing what I'm sure Evan considers a favor, I need you all to know that my cover story puts me with the state department, so I need you all to play along."

"The state department," Annie said, stone-faced.

"We can discuss whatever you want at the table, but please, everyone just stick with their cover stories," Billy pled.

"Fine," Auggie said flatly.

"Excuse me," Annie said, slowly standing and heading for the hall bathroom.

Auggie rose only moments after her. "Annie..."

...

Auggie caught her arm in the hall and urged her towards the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

She sat down on the bed in a daze. Tears pricked at the back of her eyes, threatening to ruin both her makeup and the evening. Auggie stood at the door, almost as if guarding it.

"How long have you known?" she asked after a moment.

"Since yesterday morning," Auggie whispered.

"You're kidding."

"I'm not proud," he said earnestly. "I ripped Barber's head off."

"Good," she said, pulling a tissue out of the box on the dresser and blowing her nose. "You know, I thought Billy was the good one."

"He is," Auggie said, his voice tinged with disappointment. "He's trying to exert his aptitude. Fulfill his potential."

"Can't he just stick with what he's doing now?" she asked, deflating back onto the bed.

Auggie made his way over to her and took a seat beside her. "According to Barber, he's one of the top 3 programmers in the _country."_

"Whose side are you on?" Annie asked, giving him a light smack in the ribs.

"Yours," he said seriously. "Unfortunately our son is an adult."

"I can't believe he proposed to Michelle on the same day he took the job," Annie groaned.

"You love Michelle," Auggie reminded her. "She's perfect for Billy."

"I feel like I just lost him completely, Auggie."

"You didn't. We didn't," Auggie pulled her close.

"He's gonna get hurt out there."

"We don't know that for sure," Auggie said.

"After Lucy was shot, I said that no child of ours would join the Agency," Annie snapped. "And you agreed. And Billy _knew_ that."

"That was a long time ago," Auggie said quietly. "And she rallied."

"That isn't the point," Annie said coldly.

"You remember how Danielle reacted when you read her in?" Auggie asked. "How she made you feel like a monster for following a dream? If we react the way we're reacting, we're going to alienate him entirely. Our reaction will be no better."

There was a knock at the door. It was Barber.

"Dinner's ready."

Annie smoothed her hair and wiped her eyes. Auggie gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Come on. Let's do this."


	15. Billy's New Job Part 5

Kat and Evan had already returned from the car. Kat smoothed her skirt and then Evan's hair. Everyone else pretended this wasn't the most awkward quadruple date on the planet. Billy regarded Charlene and Eric, the two who'd proven most silent over the course of the evening, with a certain amount of respect. Particularly Charlene, a tattooed civilian who was once on the receiving end of an awkward read-in herself. Usually the life of the party, Aunt Charlene was especially quiet this evening.

"This chicken is great, honey," Billy said, literally patting Michelle on the back.

"What are we celebrating?" Annie asked, giving her son a big, fake smile that said, _Be careful what you wish for. _

"A couple of things, actually," Billy said, playing along with a big smile of his own. He looked at Michelle. "Should I start with the really big news?"

Michelle held up her left hand. "We're engaged!"

Kat literally screamed.

"Oh honey, look at that rock!" Charlene exclaimed, giving Billy a reassuring wink. "Eric, look at this."

"It's nice," Eric said through a mouthful of chicken.

"And what else?" Annie persisted. Her smile was tight-lipped.

"I got a new job!" Billy said.

"Is that so?" Annie made an over-the-top-surprised face. "And what will you be doing?"

"I actually got a job with the state department," Billy said casually. His first real CIA lie.

"That sounds awesome," Eric interjected.

"That sounds really important!" Kat exclaimed.

"Yes, tell us exactly what it entails," Annie beamed.

"I wouldn't think there was a vast need for computer programmers at the state department," Auggie added.

"Well-"

"More than you'd think," Eric said casually.

"So what, like, IT?" Kat asked.

"The 'state department' seems broad," Annie said. "Could you be more specific as to what job you're doing exactly?"

"It's not as vague as 'the Smithsonian,' but sure Mom I'd be happy to."

"Oh come on, Billy doesn't want to talk about this," Evan tried.

"Darling, it's his promotion. Let him have his moment."

"Yeah, Ev," Auggie interjected. "Eat your chicken."

"Wait, Billy I'm sorry but before we go on- Mr. and Mrs. Anderson I was actually thinking of applying to be a docent at the National Air and Space Museum this summer after I graduate," Kat piped up. "I was wondering what sort of qualifications that requires? Or if maybe you could give me a hand?"

"Yeah Mom and Dad," Evan grinned. "Maybe you could give Kat a hand."

"Well, tonight is really about Billy," Auggie backtracked.

"Come on, guys," Billy said. "Kat could really use your help."

"Honestly Kat, I work in acquisitions, so that really isn't my area," Annie said, taking a generous sip of wine. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

Billy feigned confusion. "Wow, Mom, you still work in acquisitions? You've been in that department an _awfully _long time, haven't you?"

"What can I say? I love my job!" Annie fumbled.

"Yeah, but you and Dad always told us to climb the ladder as high as it'll go... If you've hit a ceiling maybe it's time to start looking for a different ladder."

"I'm very happy where I am, Billy, thank you."

"I hear you have an excellent workplace, and lots of people are really happy there actually," Billy shot back.

"I'm confused," Kat interjected. "Do you like Smithsonian or not?"

"I love the _Smithsonian_ and I can't wait to work there," Billy snapped.

"But I thought you were working at the state department," Kat said, brow furrowed.

"Oh for God's sake! It's the CIA!" Charlene shrieked. "It's all the CIA!"

Everyone turned to stare at her.

"Eric is, Auggie is, Annie is and now Billy is. And you can't tell anyone and I can't tell anyone and no one was gonna say anything but you know what? You are a sweet girl and you deserve not to be the only one in the room who doesn't know shit."

Eric grinned. "You are so hot right now."

"Really, Eric?" Charlene snapped. "Annie, your kid is CIA. Deal with it."

...

The whole dinner party sort of fell apart after that. No one was really hungry. Annie went after Billy and Michelle to apologize, and then to Charlene. Barber and Auggie did the dishes. That left Evan and Kat, alone on Billy's balcony.

"Tonight was insane, huh?" Evan said, running his fingers along the metal railing.

"You're telling me," Kat sighed. Her teeth chattered slightly.

"Here," Evan zipped off his hoodie and held it out. To her credit, she didn't leave him hanging, but wrapped herself in it and then wrapped herself around him. "I'm sorry my family is completely bat-shit," he whispered into her hair.

"They aren't always," she whispered back.

"If you want to bail after everything that happened here, I wouldn't blame you at all." His voice shook. It rarely did that. But this was real life. He wanted her to be happy, but he didn't want her to go.

"I'm not a bailer, Anderson," she said seriously. "You've given me lots of reasons and I haven't taken any of them and this isn't any different."

"But tonight I'm giving you a free pass," he clarified.

"I don't need your damn pass. If I wanted to bail on you, I could do it all on my own."

"Just take me to a crowded shopping mall or something," he joked.

"Hey, you laugh..." she snuggled deeper into his chest. "I love you."

"That's good because I have become very dependent on you over the past four years," he said. He was only half-joking. That scared him a lot.

"I've become pretty dependent on you, myself," she said. He didn't see how that was possible, but he kept his arms wrapped tight around her just in case. Just to remind her he was there. "Your brother gave Michelle a huge rock, by the way."

"You droppin' hints?" Evan asked, a smirk creeping onto his lips in spite of the empty college chasm that was his bank account. "You want one of those?"

"Not right this minute," she murmured.

"But someday?"

"Definitely someday."

"I know I'm a little shit, but you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. Literally ever."

"Better than braille Playboy."

"By miles."

"You're a little shit but you're not so bad," Kat reached up to kiss him. "You're my little shit."


	16. Billy's New Job Part 6 (conclusion)

Michelle was in bed, Kat and Evan were halfway to Connecticut, Charlene and Eric were long gone and Annie was stress-cleaning the kitchen. Auggie sat in the armchair in Billy's living room, sipping a cup of coffee.

"That was a hell of a night," he said.

"That's an understatement," Billy laughed.

"So you're really engaged to Michelle."

"I am."

"Has it sunk in yet?"

Billy thought about it for a moment. "Nope. Not really. At all."

"Well, what better way to start a life together than with a nice group treason?" Auggie joked. "Tonight was like key party except instead of keys, we exchanged cover stories and instead of sex, we just lied to each other."

"A-plus analogy, Pops."

"I aim to please."

"So what's it like?" Billy asked.

"Marriage or Tech Ops?"

"Well, it depends who you are. You are a brilliant and discerning young professional who speaks several languages including HTML and Farsi, and has managed to find Kate Hudson sexy, so I'd say you're pretty much set for life."

"Dad, do you even remember what Kate Hudson looks like?" Billy laughed. "

"I remember I never found her sexy. But enjoy a lifetime of her movies anyway."

"Uncle Rob once told me you never dated blondes before Mom."

"I can't totally speak to the validity of that statement, but I will admit that my track record had a lot more brunettes than not."

"Michelle's a brunette."

"Very nice."

"I think so."

"She's good for you," Auggie said. "She didn't cry or throw anything when you told her you were CIA?"

"She's excited for me."

"You know not all women are that understanding," Auggie said seriously.

"Seriously?" Billy asked.

"Oh, yeah. You've grown up around some damn good women."

"Any other tips?" Billy chuckled.

"Unfortunately, my marriage advice is probably better suited for your brother."

"Any general advice?"

"Make sure to be yourself. It's not an opportunity you'll always be afforded at work, but it's your best weapon. It's what's going to keep you sane, healthy and married."

"Anything else?"

"Your mom and I love you, bud. You and your brother are everything to us and I want you to know that if I could provide you full disclosure on every last thing that comes across my desk, I would."

"But you can't."

"But I can't."

"So I'm gonna be working for you, in a way, right?"

"Eric, Mom and I all work together. You could end up working for any one of us over the course of your career."

"Or you could end up working for me," Billy said gleefully.

"I swear I will retire before it comes to that."

Annie came in from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. She perched on the edge of Auggie's chair. His hand wound around her ass to her side, where she took it in her own.

"You two talking shop?" she asked, forcing a smile.

"In a way," Auggie said. "Billy was asking me for marital advice."

Annie laughed out loud. "He was asking you for marital advice?"

"Mean," Auggie frowned.

"Sorry, but... Come on, son."

"I'll just save my wisdom for Evan, then," Auggie pretended to be insulted.

"I was afraid I was going to hear two engagements announced tonight," Annie admitted.

"Can you imagine?" Auggie laughed. "You would've had a stroke."

"I think I would've," Annie admitted. "I am _exhausted."_

"I have my entry polygraph on Monday," Billy said quietly.

Annie smirked. "Lie your sweet ass off."

"And that's all the advice your mom and I have left," Auggie said, standing. "We will catch you on Monday at work."

"Ooh maybe I can start packing your lunch again like when you were little!" Annie exclaimed.

Billy frowned. "Dad used to pack my lunch."

Annie shrugged. "Po-tay-to, po-tah-to. Night, love."

When the final goodbyes were finished, Billy shut the door, turned out the lights and headed for the bedroom. Once in bed, he snuggled up to Michelle and lay his head on her pillow. This was the first night of the rest of his life.


	17. When Evan Met Kat

Dartmouth, freshman year. Three weeks into his first semester, Evan Anderson was learning a lot about people. Having walked the empty campus 500 times with his brother over the summer, Evan had gone in confident. But walking an empty campus was always very different from walking a campus crawling with people. Even still, he'd gone to a massive public high school and was yet to be trampled, so he figured he had a fighting chance.

Growing up in a mixed-ability family, Evan had never felt defined by his blindness. He'd been going to a public school since the age of ten, and was used to other people attempting to pigeonhole him. His primary goal in life was to never stop shocking people. Attending public school made him more self-aware, but he refused to be self-conscious. He frequently asked his brother for help with body language and similar cues, for which Billy awkwardly obliged. His parents taught both their boys from a young age to look people in the eye.

"It's a respect thing," Auggie explained once. "Give it your best shot."

"It really freaks people out," Annie interjected.

As a result, it often took people a minute to get that Evan was almost totally blind. Once he was familiar with a space, he ditched his cane, often at his own mild peril. Growing up, he made friends by doing things that were absolutely inadvisable, often at his own moderate peril. He was the boy without fear. In reality, he was a manic extrovert trying his best.

When college rolled around, he was thrust into a whole new social circle. His good friends attended surrounding Ivy Leagues, but Evan picked Dartmouth for the size and the school of business. His father pointed out that he hadn't even looked into accessibility resources until far later than advised. Evan pointed out that he hadn't thought about it.

Three weeks in, one of his suite mates invited him to what was being billed as a "guaranteed rager" at an off-campus McMansion. He didn't have to ask twice. Within an hour, Evan was demonstrating his athletic prowess by hoisting himself into a keg stand. Some guy was kind enough to hold his legs, and he went five seconds without barfing. His suitemate handed him his cane as he dismounted, coughing and sputtering.

"Anderson, you're an animal!" some guy cheered.

Evan could hear rumor spreading about the blind guy doing a keg stand, but he wasn't satisfied. In his experience, five seconds wasn't that long. He wasn't going to lose a captive audience that quickly.

"That was nothing," he hollered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "I can go longer."

So he did. And a third time, just to seal it. He dismounted to a roar of cheers of applause, and an accurate yell of "He's gonna barf!"

Some kind soul brought him a bucket, at which point he did.

Wiped and a little worried about alcohol poisoning, Evan made his way toward a breeze coming from the other side of the room. He found an open door, and exited onto the back patio. The cool air filled his burning lungs, quelling anymore rising vomit. He just stood there for a minute, cane in hand, breathing in the night.

"Beautiful night, huh?" came a female voice from the direction of the house. He heard her pull the door shut, muffling the sound of the party.

Evan turned so she could see his cane, and shrugged. "You tell me."

A smile crept into her voice. "Wait a sec- are you Anderson?"

"The one and only," Evan grinned, feeling suddenly like himself. "Actually, that's not true. I have a brother. But I'm the only Anderson at the party. I think."

"The blind guy who annihilated the keg."

"The freshman who threw up in a bucket near the keg, yes." In the moment, with no one else around to impress, Evan didn't feel like playing anything up or making anyone like him. "Who might you be?"

"Katherine Ross," the girl said. She was standing right next to him. She didn't smell like a party. She smelled like a perfume he didn't recognize, and a little bit of shea butter. Evan extended his hand to shake, and she obliged.

"Can I call you Kat?"

"Only if you tell me your first name."

"Evan."

"So Evan. You're really blind."

"I'm really, really blind," Evan laughed. "And a business major."

"Very nice!"

"Well you know what they say. Ladies love business majors."

"Ladies love blind guys, too," Kat said. "You're a pretty hot topic in there."

Evan found himself shrugging it off. "I over-perform for an audience. I have the pins in my arm to prove it."

"Seriously?" Kat asked. "Let's see."

"Hold this," Evan said, boldly handing her his cane as he rolled up his sleeve.

"You must trust me," Kat mused.

Evan laughed. "I don't know why I did that actually."

"You want it back?" she offered.

"Nah, hang onto it for a sec," he said, surprising himself. He extended his right forearm, feeling for the spots with his fingers. "There's metal here, here and... here."

"What'd you do?"

"I jumped out of a tree on a dare and had the neighborhood kids write swear words on my cast," he chuckled at the memory, and she giggled too.

"What did your mom say?"

"She went ballistic," Evan laughed. "Of course. But I pretended not to know. I feigned total ignorance on the whole thing."

"That is devious!" Kat playfully swatted him on the arm. Evan was surprised. Usually, people were terrified of hurting him, but this chick was just going for it.

"If there's one thing to know about me, it's that I only play the pity card when I'm being devious."

"You seem like a devious dude."

"Is there some place we could sit down?" Evan asked.

"There are some chairs out on the lawn, but it's pretty dark over there."

"Your call," he joked. "Not really a deal breaker for me."

To her credit, she laughed, albeit a little awkwardly. "Okay, how do you wanna do this?"

"Do what?" Evan asked, testing her. Her response to this situation could make or break how much he liked her. It'd happened before.

"Get over there," she said calmly. "Do you want to find it on your own, or do you want my help? I don't, like, want to grab you or something."

Evan was really, really pleased with her response. "Okay. Assisting a blind person 101. You ready?"

"Ready if you are," she teased.

"Okay, so I'm gonna need my cane back," he said, holding out his hand. She obliged. "Now, you see my right hand?"

"Sure."

"Take your left hand, and brush the back of it, then leave your arm there. Make sure it's comfortable for you. And then I'm going to take your elbow."

"Okay," she brushed the back of his hand with her own, and he started running his hand up her arm, when she suddenly jerked it away.

"Whoa," he stopped suddenly, startled. "Uh-"

"I am so sorry," she said, giggling. She touched his arm with her hand as she apologized. "I am so ticklish!"

He wasn't sure how to react. "Are you messing with me?"

"No," she sounded sincere. "I swear. Can we try it again? I promise I won't move."

"Okay," he said nervously. She brushed his hand with his, and he felt her stiffen as he ran his hand up to her elbow.

She giggled a bit as they walked. "Sorry, sorry, sorry."

She wasn't that tall- maybe 5'4 to his 6'2. It was usually awkward keeping pace with a shorter guide, but she matched his speed as they walked around the front of two Adirondack chairs in the middle of the lawn. He let go of her arm and took a seat, collapsing his cane.

"How'd I do?" she asked, with a cringe in her voice.

"False start excepted, it was a perfect performance," he said, giving her a smile.

"I swear, I didn't mean for that to happen."

"It's okay," he laughed. "I believe you."

"That must have freaked you out."

"Little bit," he admitted. "I'm also pretty tipsy so my balance isn't the best right now."

"Same," she laughed.

"You're cute," he blurted.

"Is that so?" she asked, leaning in closer.

"Oh, yeah." He was so glad she didn't comment on his qualification to judge such a thing, as so many other girls had. There was more to cute than appearance. And this Kat chick was adorable.

"You're pretty cute yourself," she said, telling him exactly what he wanted to hear.

"I'm a little worried this is all an elaborate prank," he admitted.

He felt her wave a hand in front of his face. "Yeah," she said. "Me too."

"Really? The hand in front of the face?" he scoffed in mock pretension. "That's just played out."

"Whoa there, DareDevil," she joked.

"I love DareDevil," he admitted.

"The man without fear," she mused.

"He's the reason I want to go to law school," Evan confessed, then blushed. "That is the nerdiest thing I've ever admitted to a girl. I am so sorry. I'll just feel my way out."

She laughed an honest laugh. "I like it."

"So what's your story?" Evan asked. "Enough about me."

"Only child from Pennsylvania. Parents are very bitterly divorced. I am also a freshman, but I'm working in aeronautical engineering. I am also shooting for law school, but not because of Matt Murdock or the fact that I kind of really like you."

"Blonde or brunette?" he asked.

She laughed kind of awkwardly. "Does it matter?"

"Um, not visually," he said. "But- and this is kind of weird- I can usually guess which it is based on how women behave."

"Oh?"

"Blondes tend to be a bit peppier, while brunettes are more sarcastic. Of course, there are exceptions, and there doesn't seem to be a pattern when it comes to intelligence or motivation..."

"So what do you think I am?"

A grin crept across his face. "Redhead. Actually."

"Okay, how many fingers am I holding up?" she laughed nervously.

"Was I right?" he asked, a little shocked.

"Spot on."

Evan wasn't sure how to react to this girl. He wanted to have sex with her, yes, but he also wanted a lot of other things. He wanted to take her home to meet his parents. He wanted to snuggle with her. He wanted to make her watch Animal House with descriptive audio subs because he knew she'd find it ten times funnier.

"I answered your questions. Does that mean I get to ask one?"

"I have volunteered an uncharacteristic amount of information tonight, Miss Ross. And anyway, I think I know what you're about to ask."

"Oh? So you want to just skip my part and cut to the answer?"

"I was born this way."

She froze, removing her hand from his arm. "I should have known."

Evan was thoroughly confused. "Uh..."

"And I was coming onto you and everything..."

"What?"

"How could I be so stupid?"

"Did I say something...?"

"No, I'm sorry. It's just... I have the _worst _gaydar."

Evan was quiet for a moment before exploding into gut-busting laughter.

"Don't laugh at me!" Kat did that little swat again, but she sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

"No, Kat..." Evan caught his breath. "I'm not gay. I meant that I was born blind. Well, kind of. I was really premature..."

Kat laughed, nervously but with relief. "Good. I mean, not good. But good. But also that wasn't my question?"

Evan froze. "Were you going to ask if I was gay?"

"I was going to ask when I could see you again," she said shyly. "If you want."

Evan couldn't remember the last time he wanted something so badly.


	18. Evan & Kat & The Massive Hangover

_Requested: Evan and Kat's first date_

* * *

Kat input her number into Evan's phone before leaving the party Friday night, and he had to fight the urge to call her the second she left. He sat in his dorm room the next morning, epically hung over as his phone read her number aloud, wondering if the wait-a-week thing was more of a rule or a suggestion. Sure, he'd been with girls before, but it had always been a little awkward. He was much better at drunken make-outs than serious relationships.

Where would they even go on a date? In the past he'd gone out to dinner with girls, or to the movies, but those outings always felt awkward at their core. Women loved hooking up with the blind guy, but actually being with him took work. Evan tried to keep his interactions relatively superficial for this reason. At parties, girls didn't have to worry about the things that often made them uncomfortable sober. Evan didn't want to freak anybody out. That wasn't his intention. That wasn't what he hoped to get from a relationship, either. He was lucky enough to be the product of an awesome relationship between a blind man and a sighted woman. It gave him hope and affirmed his standards, but it also scared him to know how rarely that actually happened.

That's why he skipped the waiting period and called Kat less than 24 hours after meeting her.

She answered on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Kat? It's Evan."

"Who?"

The word sent his stomach careening downward like a broken elevator, but he tried to play it cool. "Evan Anderson? From the party last night?"

"I'm just messing with you," she laughed. "What can I do for you, Anderson?"

"Last night, we talked about hanging out at some time in the nebulous future."

"I do recall."

"And I was just wondering if you were busy... now?"

"Like right now?"

"I figure hey, I've got a massive hangover, I bet you've got a massive hangover, why don't we ride it out together?"

"Well, I _do _have a massive hangover," she said, a smile in her voice. "What do you suggest we do about it?"

"I find that coffee helps."

...

Evan opted to arrive at the cafe before Kat. It was less than a block away from his dorm, already a familiar spot. He ordered his coffee and settled in with a book. He found himself perking up every time the door opened, hoping it would be Kat, but trying not to look eager. He had no way of gauging how much eagerness was too much in this scenario.

"Hey!" she said all the way from the door, touching his shoulder on the way to order her coffee. "Be right there."

He listened to her order, and heard her footsteps approaching his table by the window. He nudged the opposite chair with his toe, and motioned to it.

"Glad you could make it."

"You don't waste time, do you?" she asked, setting her keychain down on the table and scooting in her chair.

"I try not to," he said, cramming his book in his bag beside his folded-up cane.

"You spared yourself the embarrassment of being seen with a ginger in Harvard sweatpants," she reasoned. "Probably a good call."

"I wanted to keep things sort of casual," he admitted. "In case you had any reservations."

"Absolutely not," she said seriously. "You're as cute in the daylight as you were in the moonlight. Unless you're wanting to bail?"

"Definitely not."

"Glad to clear the air."

Evan was taken aback by her forwardness. "So..."

She emitted a nervous laugh, setting her coffee cup down on the table. "So."

"Um, what's your favorite movie?"

She laughed a real laugh. "What, I officially confirm that this is a real first date and you launch into the awkward first date questions?"

Evan laughed in spite of himself. "Just answer the question!"

"You first."

"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."

"And he likes Steve Martin," Kat said with a dramatic wistfulness.

"My brother and I would quote it in public growing up," Evan laughed. "Just to make people uncomfortable."

"Oh god," Kat laughed.

"Yeah it was exactly as subversive and off-putting as you're imagining."

"Are you close with your brother?"

"He's a lot older, so we never really fought," Evan explained.

"By how much?"

"Seven years."

"Wow. Same parents?"

Evan grinned. "Are you gonna tell me your favorite movie, or what?"

"Wedding Crashers."

"Is that a joke?"

"Sadly, no."

"That's like, _really_ hot."

"Thank you. Now, tell me about your family. Last night I told you about mine."

Evan sighed. "Um, two parents, still married, one older brother and that's about it."

"And what are they like?" Kat leaned forward, her voice soft and curious and sweet.

"My brother's a computer programmer and my parents both work for the Smithsonian. My mom works in acquisitions, so she's super well-traveled and smart. She speaks a lot of languages."

"And your dad?"

"He's a computer geek. He was in the army," Evan hesitated to give away too much. "He's actually blind, too."

"So..."

"Totally different situation," Evan answered the question before she could find a polite way to phrase it. "He was injured in a bomb blast in Iraq, way before I was born."

"Ah," she said, because what else could you say to that. "What was that like, growing up?"

"We always butted heads," Evan said. "Figuratively."

"And why's that?"

"I am an incurable smartass... So what do your parents do?" he asked, hoping he hadn't killed the mood completely.

"My mom's a copy editor and my dad's an OB-GYN."

"Well, it sounds like you come from very well-rounded stock," Evan said politely.

"You too," she laughed.

"Tell me something about you that I don't know," Evan challenged.

"I'm wearing sweats with full makeup because I was too lazy to change but somehow felt my makeup would improve things," Kat admitted.

"I appreciate it," Evan joked. "Don't want my bros to think I'm slumming."

"Tell me something about _you _that I don't know," she shot back.

"I have a tattoo on my ass," he said without thinking.

Kat choked on her coffee. "You do not."

"I can't believe I just said that but yeah," Evan felt the blush creeping up his cheeks. "I do."

"Uh, of what?" Kat stammered, amused.

"There's a USDA choice sticker on premium cuts of beef, or so they tell me. And when I was 16 this guy paid me $30 to get it tattooed on my butt."

"Just some guy?"

Evan laughed in spite of himself. "No, not just some guy. I knew him."

"This situation sounds very concerning," Kat smirked from behind her coffee cup.

"The concerning part was trying to hide it from my parents when I could barely sit down for a week."

"Did they ever find out?"

"My folks? No. It'd just be my mom looking, and it's not often I show her my bare ass these days."

"That's probably very healthy," Kat laughed. "When I was in middle school my mom let me get my ears pierced even after my dad said no. And when I went to stay with him for the summer, I swear it was three weeks before he even noticed."

"Ouch," Evan said.

"It was supposed to be a lighthearted anecdote but somehow it always loops back to the daddy issues."

"Well, if you ever need a dad, mine's available to rent."

Kat leaned forward onto the table. "Why don't you guys get along?"

"He thinks I'm irresponsible."

"Are you?" she asked in a low voice.

Evan leaned forward, too. "Only sometimes," he whispered back.

"What about the other times?" she asked.

"The other times, I remember what's important."

"And what's that?"

Evan thought for a second. He found her hands across the table, and he took them in his own. "Stuff like this."


	19. Brain Matters

It was three weeks and four "proper dates" before Evan invited Kat back to his place. There was something intimate about having someone in your living space that made him slightly uncomfortable. He wasn't a neat freak like his dad, who demanded everything be in its perfect place at all times. Billy had inherited that trait with pleasure. Evan lived on a fine line. He didn't mind a mess as long as he was the one making it. One of the awkward parts of having his own place was not having someone else to notice things like, say, a puddle of Diet Coke demolishing a calculus textbook. The worst thing about spilling things when you couldn't see the mess, was cleaning a mess you couldn't see. Sometimes he discovered fringe bits of a spill he thought he'd cleaned weeks ago. Evan grew up in a house where spill trays were mandatorily placed beneath everything spill-able, but that wasn't a habit that followed him to the dorm. In fact, he was pretty sure his spill tray was still in a box in the top of his closet, crammed between his childhood teddy bear and the box of condoms his Uncle Pete "jokingly" gave him for his 18th birthday.

Technically, Kat had invited herself. She'd gotten a care package from her mom and stepdad, and she thought it might be fun to open it together since his dorm was on her way back from the SPO. He'd just sort of agreed without thinking. Something about her put Evan's brain on the fritz. She would suggest something, anything, and Evan would reflexively agree regardless of how ridiculous or impossible it was. She narrowly saved him from a game of non-Braille Scrabble before realizing that, um, it was non-Braille Scrabble. The dumb thing was that Evan would have just tried his best either way. He'd try his hand at Pictionary if she wanted.

In short, Evan didn't mind his own mess, but he couldn't imagine what this place would say to someone who actually had to look at it. His parents' last visit was two months ago, and his sighted suite mates couldn't care less as long as he wasn't banging through the walls or blasting the music of Sublime.

His first move was to open the window and spritz the faintest bit of that cologne he got last Christmas. He swept his school stuff off his desk and into the top drawer. The surface felt clean. Non-sticky at least. He shoved any and all floor-bound items into the closet and shoved his books into a stack on the bookshelf. He grabbed his cane and gave the place a sweep for safety. Maybe his dad had a point.

Kat didn't even pause in the lobby, just found someone to hold the door for her and her box and made her way upstairs.

"Nice place," she commented. "Where can I put my box?"

"Wherever's good," Evan said.

"It's chilly in here."

"Oh I forgot I left the window open."

He crossed the room to close it, which went fine. And then he turned around and it all went to hell. Kat took "wherever's good" to mean "the middle of the floor is fine," which led to Evan catching one foot on the edge of it and one foot around the side, tripping on and over it, and pinning Kat to the floor. He was tall enough that his knee cleared the contents, but the size of the room posed a problem. While he caught himself before completely crushing his much-smaller girlfriend, he ended up doing a header into the corner of the closet.

He froze, eyes squeezed shut in embarrassment, propped up on rug-burned elbows. "Are you all right?"

Her head was somewhere in his pectoral region, her body warm and accidentally pressed directly up against his.

"You landed on me while my knees were bent," she said into his shirt.

"Is your box okay?" he tried to keep his voice light. He could feel something hot trickling over his left eye, the spot that had hurt a second ago numbing in what he could only perceive to be a horrible sign.

"I'm sure it'll be-" she wiggled out from under him, and he rolled over onto his side. "Holy crap."

Evan grimaced. "I'm going to take the horror movie gasp as a bad sign."

"I feel horrible," she said from behind the palm of her hand. "I am so sorry."

"Don't sweat it," Evan said slowly. "What's the damage?"

"No, I should've put it on the desk or the bed... I wasn't thinking..."

"Kat," Evan tried to keep his voice steady despite the left of his face being wrecked with blood. "How bad is it?"

"You're bleeding a _lot," _she said.

"Head wounds bleed a lot," he said. "Can you get me to the ER?"

Two hours later, Evan counted 5 staples, 6 stitches, one (involuntary) new haircut, and roughly a billion apologies from Kat.

"So you almost killed your blind boyfriend over a care package," one nurse asked skeptically. Evan tried really hard not to laugh.

"I'm fine," he insisted. "And single, too."

"Oh god!" Kat wailed.

Evan specifically requested they shave his whole head, though the doctor insisted Kat help him keep an eye on things.

"I'm an asshole," she muttered as they left the emergency room.

"Don't say stuff like that when I'm hanging onto your arm."

"I almost killed you!"

"You didn't do anything!" he insisted, trying to keep the laugh out of his voice. "You think this is my first rodeo?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, sitting both of them on a bench.

"Please," he scoffed. "Belligerent blind kid with authority issues? You think I've never taken a massive spill before? I mean for crying out loud, Kat, I used the pins in my arm as a pickup line. On you. And it _worked."_

Kat let out a forced little chuckle.

Evan wound his arm around her and pulled her close. "Stop beating yourself up."

She leaned into him. "I feel like... I don't know..."

Evan sighed. "It all just became real, didn't it?"

She nodded into the front of his jacket.

"You can't be as cocky as I am without eating shit once in awhile."

"You didn't eat it, you devoured it," she said, a smirk in her voice.

"Oh so now it's cool to tease," he laughed, gently elbowing her in the ribs.

"You're sure you're okay?"

"I figure something like this was inevitable. I'd rather it happen at this stage of the relationship than ten years down the road when you shoot me to prove to your friends that I'm invincible."

"What?"

"I think that's the premise for something?"

"What, your personal Bruce Willis fanfiction?"

"I just shaved my head, Katherine, my whole life is now Bruce Willis fanfiction."

"I like it by the way," she said, bravely touching a section of the buzz cut unaffected by sutures.

"I was overdue for a haircut anyway," he shrugged. "So do you wanna go home and see what's in that box? And help me scrape my brain off the closet door?"

She reached up and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Just let me clear off the floor first."


	20. Posture & Pillows

_Requested: Evan solicits Billy's help_

_I wish I could say I was in love with this fic, but I feel like it's missing something. Let me know if you figure out what it is._

* * *

Billy came his sophomore year of college, looking forward to some peace and quiet. His roommate had dropped him off at his parents' on his way to North Carolina for Thanksgiving weekend, arriving in the middle of the day while Auggie and Annie were still at work. He'd gone straight to the comfort of his own bedroom and promptly fallen asleep. The next time he opened his eyes, his little brother Evan was sitting at the foot of his bed. Billy cussed at an inadvisable volume, throwing a pillow at the looming Evan in sleepy self-defense.

"Very nice," Evan said, locating the pillow and throwing it back. It bounced off Billy's alarm clock with a clatter.

"Jeez, Ev, you scared me!"

"So your first instinct was to throw things?" Evan frowned. "Thank you."

"How long have you been sitting there?" Billy rubbed his bleary eyes.

"I don't know, since the sound of your grinding teeth became too distracting to stay in my own room?"

Billy's hand flew reflexively to his jaw. "I grind my teeth?"

"No," Evan lied. "How's Hah-vahd?"

"Pretentious," Billy snapped, raking his hands through his hair. "How's seventh grade?"

"Utter bullshit."

"Evan!"

"Sorry, Mom."

"Why is it bullshit?"

"The usual reasons," Evan said. "I don't know. I feel like I have to up the ante now that I'm at public school."

"What ante?"

"The social ante, William," Evan said, with all the seriousness of Don Draper trying to land the Lucky Strike account. "People treat me differently."

"You didn't expect that?" Billy asked incredulously. "People have been treating you differently your entire life."

"I feel like there's something I'm lacking."

"How do you mean?"

"I mean, characteristically. I feel like a beacon of weird."

Billy grabbed his desk chair and sat with the front between his legs, so he and Evan were face-to-face. "Buddy, you're twelve. Everyone's a beacon of weird at twelve."

Evan was insistent. "I'm too obvious."

"Obvious...? Finish your sentence."

"I'm too obviously different. I feel like if I were more subtle..." Evan let it trail off.

"Tricking people will only get you so far," Billy said diplomatically.

"Well, look at Dad!" Evan was clearly frustrated. "Everybody loves Dad!"

"Then maybe this is a conversation you should be having with him!" Billy said, exasperated. He was at a loss on this one.

"I would ask him, but asking your father to help you fake it till you make it is kind of insulting bullshit," Evan bit back.

"I think it's insulting bullshit that you're shooting for fake at all!" Billy said.

"If there was something that you were doing that was a little off, wouldn't you want help with it?" Evan pled.

Billy sighed. But at the same time, he kind of understood. Middle school was that frightening time of life when you'd give your left nut to be a cookie-cutter clone. What Evan was feeling had nothing to do with insecurity about his abilities. It had to do with insecurity about being twelve.

"Okay, stand up," Billy said. Evan obliged. Billy stood on the other side of the room, by the window. "I just want you to know I don't like this."

"Don't make this about you."

"Walk towards me," Billy instructed. His brother obliged, taking a few steps. "All right, now try it with your shoulders squared." He put his brother's hands on his shoulders in demonstration, and waited until Evan mimicked. They practiced like that for a few minutes until Evan was comfortable with the suggestions.

"Anything else?" Evan asked at the end of it all.

Billy shrugged. "You're a stud. Anyone screws with you, you tell them your big brother from Harvard will come beat them up with a pillow."


	21. Thanksgiving Part 1

"So what are you doing for Thanksgiving?" Kat asked. They were seated on Evan's bed, with the first season of _Arrested Development _playing on Kat's laptop. Evan had marathoned the show so many times that he could practically provide the descriptive subtitles all on his own.

"Back to the Anderson family compound," he sighed. His suitcase lay across the desk, half-packed for the following morning's car ride back to Virginia. He wasn't totally sure he was ready to go, but that was another story.

"I'm gonna miss you," she said, snuggling closer into his side.

"You too," he said, kissing her hair.

"Did you ever tell your parents about your little incident?"

Evan's hair had mostly grown back, and Kat insisted the hardware store happening on his skull was "barely noticeable." Evan doubted it.

"Uh, no. I haven't mentioned it."

"What about the last time you guys Skyped?" she asked.

"I don't really Skype with my parents," he said awkwardly. "Kind of pointless."

"Oh yeah," she said with a shrug. He liked that they were finally at a place where she was shrugging at that sort of thing. "You gonna brag on me when I'm not around?"

"For sure," Evan grinned. They were talking through the show, but they'd both seen it so many times it didn't matter. "They're going to think I'm making you up, but that's not gonna stop me."

"Your phone take pictures?" Kat asked, already reaching into his front pocket to find out.

Evan jumped slightly, knocking the laptop onto the bed. Kat snatched his iPhone from his pocket and pushed the computer aside.

"Come here," she scootched up onto her knees so they were cheek-to-cheek. "Smile."

Evan obliged.

"That was a grimace."

"This is weird."

"You've never taken a cheap selfie on your phone?" she asked skeptically.

Evan laughed in spite of himself. "Um, no, can't say I've ever seen the point."

"Well I am inviting you to guest star in my selfie on your phone to prove that you didn't Weird Science me for attention, so do something adorable," she ordered. "Ready? Three... two... one..."

At the last second, Evan turned and planted a kiss on her cheek. She giggled.

"Oh, we're cute!" she said.

"Are we really?" Evan asked, reaching up to turn her lips towards his.

"You're all right for a guy with an imaginary girlfriend."

"Yeah that's what I thought."

...

Every year, Annie opted to host Thanksgiving and every year, her family wound up just wishing she wouldn't. This year, the menagerie of anticipated guests included her sister Danielle and Danielle's daughters Chloe and Katia, as well as Auggie's brother Eric and his daughter Lucy, Lucy's husband Aleph and both Billy and Evan.

Evan caught a ride from New Hampshire from one of his suite mates who lived in Stafford, resulting in an all-day road trip and a particularly rumpled and stiff entrance home on Wednesday evening. Billy beat him home by about an hour, and was sprawled on the living room sofa reading the first book he found when Evan arrived.

"Holy shit," Billy said when he saw him. Evan looked confused, felt around to make sure his fly wasn't open or something. "Evan, holy _shit." _

"What?" Evan asked, a touch of panic in his voice.

"What the hell happened to your head?" Billy half-yelled, dropping his book.

"Oh, that."

"Oh, that? _Oh that? _No, not 'oh that.' You look like you got a lobotomy."

"Well, fortunately it hasn't had the same effect."

"Evan, I'm serious. What happened to you?"

"I had a little run-in with a closet door, okay?"

"With the top of your head? That's a first. What the hell were you doing?" Billy picked up his brother's bags and reflexively started up the stairs to his old bedroom.

Evan followed with a grudging sigh. "I was drunk?"

"Ah, no you weren't."

"Stoned?"

"Come on."

"Fine," Evan sighed, flopping down on the bed. "I tripped over a box and did a header."

"Damn," Billy took Evan's being seated as a chance to get a closer look. He paused, processing this information. "Wait. What was the box doing?"

"Just sitting in the middle of my room."

"Who put it there?"

"Me," Evan lied.

"Nice try, Terminator," Billy said, spreading his brother's hair to better view the damage. "Who put the box in the middle of the room?"

"My... girlfriend."

Billy froze. "Say what now?"

"My girlfriend got a care package from her parents, she put the box in the middle of the room and didn't say anything, I turned around and crashed. Can we stop talking about it?"

"You're seeing somebody?"

"In a way," Evan said coyly.

"Pics or it didn't happen."

Evan pulled his phone from his jeans pocket. "There's a shot of us in there somewhere."

Billy opened said phone. "In there somewhere" translated roughly to "the only photo saved."

"Damn it, Evan, she's cute."

"I know she's cute, don't tell me she's cute," Evan snapped.

"Well, she's cute," Billy said, tossing the phone back onto the bed.

"Nice one, asshat," Evan griped, feeling for the phone. "Seriously?"

Billy picked it up and smacked it into his brother's hand. "You have a problem with me thinking your girlfriend is pretty?"

"Mom's going to freak when she finds out," he sighed.

"Since when do you tell Mom and Dad anything?" Billy asked, sitting down next to him.

"Well, I'm loaded up with office supplies in my skull and apparently I've proven too coordinated to pretend the injury was self-inflicted."

"The circumstances could've been worse," Billy smirked. "Remember Dad's broken wrist?"

Evan laughed aloud. "You mean from the time he 'tripped over Mom's Yoga ball'? Oh jeez... Nobody's gonna believe I tripped."

"Sure they will," Billy teased. "The mattresses at Dartmouth couldn't possibly be that springy."

They froze as they heard the front door open and close.

"Anybody home?" Annie hollered from downstairs. "I could use some help with the groceries."

Evan's jaw jumped. "She's gonna freak when she sees this."

Billy went to the closet and retrieved a knit beanie. He went over and pulled it gently over Evan's head and ears.

"You might wanna lose a layer, kid. Tonight's gonna be a little warm for you."


	22. Thanksgiving Part 2

Thanksgiving morning was a sort of marathon in the Anderson house. Since having kids, Annie had been more intentional about not working through major holidays, and she'd been insistent on hosting Thanksgiving ever since Billy could remember. Ever since Aunt Danielle split from her husband, she'd been flying in for the holiday from California. That meant the last ten turkey dinners or so had at least been edible. This year, Auggie's eldest brother Eric decided to fly in as well. Eric and Auggie weren't close, but Auggie had always been like a second father to Eric's daughter Lucy, so they made it work. Lucy was coming as well, the much-older cousin with the secretive job and the foreign husband. Childless, fashionable and untethered, they tended to pop in with little notice and pop back out with even less. Danielle's daughters Chloe and Katia were about a decade Billy's senior, flying in from Manhattan and Portland, respectively.

It was rare to get this particular cast under one roof, but Billy found himself looking forward to it. Danielle and Annie were in the kitchen, bickering over the specifics as early as 6 Thursday morning, banishing everyone else to the living room.

Chloe and Katia arrived around noon, bearing a fast food lunch. They were polar opposites- Chloe was high-maintenance, already twice-divorced, while Katia worked at a co-op and bore a dozen or so tribal tattoos. Lucy and Aleph were only a half-hour behind them. Apparently Eric wasn't expected until dinner hit the table.

So the cousins sat in the living room, nibbling at a plate of cheese and crackers, all feeling about ten years old.

"So Evan," Lucy opened the discussion. "How's Dartmouth?"

"Excellent," Evan said. He was still wearing the hat. "I've never been so drunk."

"Good use of your parents' tuition money," Chloe commented, taking a sip of wine.

"You're one to judge," Katia muttered.

"Evan has a girlfriend," Billy teased. Every eyebrow in the room went up.

"Baby Ev has a _girlfriend!" _Katia squealed.

"You've been a heartbreaker from day one," Lucy commented. "So what's she like?"

"She's hot," Billy fueled the fire.

"That doesn't actually mean anything," Chloe interjected. "What's she _like?" _

Evan blushed. "She's cool."

"She's cool?" Katia repeated, skeptically.

"Never describe a woman as 'cool,'" Aleph advised, refilling everyone's wine glass. "Women are beautiful, they are intelligent, they are insatiable, perhaps. But cool?"

Lucy turned and narrowed her eyes. "Who are you calling insatiable?"

Evan cringed. "Can we stop using that word?"

"Do you have a picture?" Chloe pried.

Evan grudgingly handed his phone to Billy, who pulled up the picture. The phone was snatched out of his hand before he knew it.

"She's beautiful, Evan!" Chloe exclaimed.

"I'd hit that," Katia said appreciatively.

"How'd you two meet?" Lucy asked. She moved to ruffle his hat-covered hair, but he cringed. "Whoa, you all right?"

"All good," he said through gritted teeth.

"Mmhm," she said, whipping the beanie off his head. This move was immediately followed by a gasp, first from Evan and then from everyone else.

"What fresh hell is this?" Chloe demanded through a mouthful of cheese.

"I took a little... spill."

Katia grinned like the Cheshire cat. "Was this spill... tantric?"

"No, this _spill_ happened when my girlfriend left her stuff in the middle of my floor and for the record it's nearly a month old."

"It still looks awful," Lucy said unhelpfully.

"Thank you, Lucille," Evan snapped back.

Danielle chose that moment to emerge from the kitchen with Annie. "Who wants to help with... pie?"

Annie's hand flew to her mouth, eyes wide. "Evan! What happened to you?"

"He has a girlfriend," Lucy said with a shrug, as if to say 'Kids! What're you gonna do?'

Danielle frowned. "Was she armed with a flail?"

"I tripped," Evan said.

"That's a flat excuse," Katia said under her breath.

"Yeah, actually," Chloe chimed in. "That's like saying you fell down the stairs."

"I actually fell into the corner of my closet," Evan said. "Anyone else have any questions?"

"Yeah," Annie said finally. "Do you have a picture?"

Billy handed his mother the phone before Evan could stop him.

"A redhead," Annie mused. "Interesting."

"What do you mean, 'interesting'?" Evan snapped, cheeks bright.

"Yeah, what's so interesting?" Auggie appeared in the doorway with Eric close behind.

Annie held up the phone. "Auggie, Evan has a girlfriend."

"And she bashed his head in!" Lucy added unhelpfully, walking over to give both men a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Hi, Uncle Auggie! Daddy."

"Hey," Auggie said, reciprocating the hug. "What's this about Evan's head?"

"I tripped on a box," Evan practically shouted. "Can we all just drop it? It's like six stitches!"

"Sounds like you were the one that got dropped," Auggie smirked.

"Hello, Eric," Danielle said, giving Auggie's eldest brother a kiss on each cheek.

"Danielle, you look lovely," Eric said warmly.

Billy and Katia exchanged a look. Katia passed the look onto Chloe, who shot it back to Billy with an extra dose of confused judgment. Looking up, Billy noted that Lucy was wearing the exact same look. Eric Anderson was a notorious chilly individual. Not intentionally rude, just distant. But he'd had his hand on the small of Danielle's back for an _awfully _long time.

"So anyway," Annie clasped her hands together. "Who wants to help make some pies?"

"I got your six," Auggie said, heading for the kitchen.

"I'm going to go put my stuff in the guest room," Eric said stiffly.

"Let me give you a hand with your bags," Danielle said, following him up.

Katia cleared her throat. "I think there's a football game on."

"You don't watch football," Chloe said, eyes fixed on her exiting mother.

"Well," Lucy downed the rest of her wine, and the wine out of Aleph's glass, too. "No time like the present to start."


	23. Thanksgiving Part 3

"How are we doing on green beans?" Annie asked from the kitchen.

"We're fine," Auggie hollered back. "Come on, sit down, you've been on your feet all day!"

"Why am I even asking you?" Annie scoffed. "Billy, how are you doing with green beans?"

"We're good, Mom," Billy and Evan suppressed a mutual chuckle.

"Ugh, Evan, put the hat back on," Annie said, setting a bowl of beans in front of him anyway.

"Is it really that bad?" Auggie asked, brows knitted in concern.

"It's really that bad," Billy replied.

"These yams are delicious, Annie," Eric said appreciatively.

"Oh, those were all Danielle."

"Well, my compliments to Danielle," Eric said with a wink. Danielle replied with a giggle.

"Who the hell is that guy and what did he do with my dad?" Lucy whispered.

"Evan! How was your first quarter of college?" Auggie asked. "We've barely spoken since you've been back."

"It's been great," Evan said.

"Attending all your classes?" Auggie pressed.

"Of course," Annie interceded, quelling any tension between father and son.

"Good stuffing, Mom," Katia said.

"Actually that one was Aunt Annie," Danielle laughed.

Annie gasped. "Oh! No, I meant to tell you I made that with turkey stock!"

Katia's smile froze as she raised her napkin to her lips and deposited the bite therein. "It's fine."

"Pull the vegan stick out of your ass," Chloe declared, draining her wine glass.

"Says the woman who won't go within ten miles of a carb," Katia bit back.

"Carbs are poison, bitch, deal with it."

"Speaking of poison," Lucy said, making grabby hands for the wine bottle.

"I think we're all a bit sober," Aleph echoed.

"I have an idea," Annie said. "Let's go around the table and say what we're thankful for. Just like we did when you guys were little. Auggie?"

"I'm thankful for my health, my country and of course, my family," Auggie said.

"Good Sunday school answer, darling," Annie teased, but Billy could see the agreement in her eyes. "I'm thankful for the same. And these mashed potatoes, holy crap."

They'd gotten almost all the way around the table when Evan felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

"Excuse me," he said, ducking out in the direction of the kitchen. It was never graceful, leaving a full table in a packed-out dining room, but he managed to make it all the way out before the call went to voicemail.

"Hello?"

"Evan?" It was Kat.

"Happy Thanksgiving," he tried. "You okay?"

"I'm in Virginia, actually," she said.

"You're in Virginia?" he couldn't stop the smile spreading across his face.

"There was a bit of a mixup and I ended up spending the weekend with my roommate in Alexandria."

"Alexandria," Evan practically cheered. "We're in McLean!"

"McLean? Shit."

"What?"

"I feel like a gold digger."

"Doesn't count if you didn't know up front," Evan teased. "You wanna come over tomorrow?"

"I don't want to invite myself over," she backtracked.

"You're coming over tomorrow."

Annie came into the kitchen and put her hand on his shoulder. "Honey, who's that?"

"My girlfriend. She's in Alexandria."

"Give me the phone!" Annie snatched it out of his hand. "Hi-"

"Her name is Katherine, Mom," Evan supplied.

"Hi, Katherine, this is Annie Walker, Evan Anderson's mother."

"She knows my last name, Mom..."

"Rumor has it you're in town this weekend!" A beat of silence. "Well, we have family visiting and we're just going to be relaxing tomorrow. We would love to meet you!" Another beat. "Fantastic! Tomorrow at eleven thirty then. All right honey, we'll see you then! Bye."

Annie pressed the phone back into her son's hand.

"She sounds like a lovely girl."

"Thanks Mom."

"Now stop ignoring your family and eat your vegetables. Just because you can't see them on your plate doesn't mean they're hidden."

...

Billy was doing dishes with Chloe, Aleph, Katia and Lucy in the kitchen just after dinner when Evan entered looking like a deer in the headlights.

"You okay?" Billy asked.

"That depends," Evan said, bracing himself on the edge of the counter. "When was the last time you saw Aunt Danielle or Uncle Eric?"

Lucy froze. "Why?"

"I was going to get a sweatshirt out of my room, and when it wasn't in my drawer I thought I may have accidentally left it in the hamper. So I went into the bathroom... And the door was locked."

"Oh no," Lucy muttered.

"I heard some stuff," Evan said in a choked voice. "Stuff I could go my entire life without ever hearing again."

"Yeah, I bet," Katia mumbled.

"They're totally doing it, guys," Evan made a traumatized face. "They're doing it _in my hamper." _

"Okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Katia said. "This is Mom we're talking about, not Dad."

"Moms have needs," Aleph argued.

"On what planet is _that_ response helpful?" Lucy snapped. Aleph responded in Hebrew, which Billy didn't speak but which Lucy certainly understood, and narrowed her eyes.

"So if Mom and your dad get married, what does that make us?" Chloe asked Lucy.

"Grown-ass adults whose parents apparently have needs," Lucy retorted.

"No, I mean like, sisters, or...?"

It was in that moment that the perpetrators themselves decided to enter the kitchen, flush and giggly.

"Hey, guys," Eric said casually.

Katia sighed dramatically. "Who wants a cigarette?"


	24. Thanksgiving Part 4

Katia, Danielle and Chloe had been out of the house hitting Black Friday sales since five in the morning. Lucy and Aleph were spending the day together, as were Billy and Eric, who'd gone to the gun range of all places. This left Annie, Auggie and Evan home alone, waiting for the doorbell to ring.

"I hope she doesn't mind leftovers," Annie muttered, wedged between the men like a high-strung sandwich.

"I hope she doesn't like direct eye contact," Auggie muttered back.

There was a knock at the front door, and all three of them tensed up.

"Be nice to her," Evan interjected. "Please."

"We're _nice," _Annie insisted. "We are a nice American family. Now everybody shut the hell up and smile."

"I'll get the door," Evan said.

"Probably for the best," Annie commented. "Auggie, kill the smile. We don't want to frighten her."

"Hey," they heard Evan rumble from the foyer, the squeaky hinge on the door opening wider.

"Hey yourself," Kat's voice was warm and smooth.

He led her into the living room where his parents stood, and awkwardly put his arm around her.

"Mom, Dad, this is Kat."

"Or Katherine," she said, approaching to shake hands. "Or Kate. My parents call me Katie. Evan's really the only one who calls me Kat."

"Which do you prefer?" Annie asked, feeling nervous.

"I like Kat," she admitted.

"I like Kat, too," Evan said, pulling her close to kiss her on the head.

"Nice to meet you, Kat," Auggie extended a hand to shake.

"Nice to meet both of you too," she said. "I've heard a lot about you."

"You don't say," Auggie genuinely sounded surprised.

"No, really," Kat beamed. "Evan tells the funniest stories."

Annie's gaze slid nervously toward her husband, who forced a placid chuckle. "Yeah, I bet he does."

Lunch was simple but elegant, based off the advices of Danielle Brooks and Martha Stewart- turkey sandwiches on baguette with cranberry sauce, cream cheese and some avocado smuggled in from California in Danielle's carryon. The spread made Annie feel better about serving leftovers to a guest, always forgetting that she'd married a man who thought Captain Crunch for dinner was a treat.

Annie watched as Kat and Evan held hands under the table, as she casually handed him the water glass that had vanished when he let go of it, and she felt a rush of unexplainable emotion, almost offense.

"So Kat," Auggie finished a bite of sandwich. "How'd you and Evan meet?"

Evan blanched slightly, but Kat remained bright and assertive. "He impressed me, and I wanted to meet him. So I did."

"And what did he do that impressed you so much?" Annie asked, goading her. Auggie's foot connected with her ankle under the table, and she responded with a clandestine smack to his thigh.

"Evan's confident," Kat said matter-of-factly.

"So you were impressed by the confident blind guy," Annie said, claws out.

"Yeah," Auggie scoffed. "So were you."

"Are you impressed by a lot of blind guys?" Annie snapped.

"Not really getting why everyone's talking about me like I'm not here," Evan said.

"Annie, can I have a word in the kitchen?" Auggie asked, voice lowered. He turned to their guest. "Excuse us for a moment, please."

Once in the kitchen, his tune changed dramatically.

"What has gotten into you?" Auggie snapped.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Annie feigned ignorance.

"It's like you met this kid and your claws came out," Auggie said. "Is this... jealousy?"

"No," Annie snapped, but a grin was already spreading across her husband's face.

"You're doing that thing moms do when they feel threatened by another woman taking care of her baby," Auggie laughed. "You're gonna rip the face off Evan's first girlfriend on Black Friday. This is beautiful."

"I am not ripping anyone's face off," Annie snapped, glad Auggie couldn't see the crimson blush creeping into her cheeks.

"You two have more in common than you think," Auggie muttered.

"No we don't," Annie said, flustered and embarrassed by her own behavior.

"Annie, didn't we send Evan to college in the hopes that he'd gain independence and come into his own?" Auggie asked.

"Yeah," Annie said reluctantly.

"With Evan's... social circle, he could have brought us a very different girl."

"But why did it have to be _her?" _Annie whimpered.

"What's wrong with her?" Auggie asked. "What am I missing?"

Annie sighed. "It's nothing wrong... It's just... She's already so comfortable with Evan. Helpful and everything."

"Uh, that's a good thing."

"So the Boy Wonder who never accepts help from anyone is now totally into it?"

Auggie's expression sobered. "That's not our call."

"I'm sorry," Annie sighed. "I'm just... Being crazy."

"Come here," Auggie opened his arms and folded her into them. "I know you're upset, but aren't you glad Evan's found someone who knows what they're doing?"

"We don't know that," Annie muttered. "She could be completely unprepared."

"The only way to know how she feels is to ask," Auggie said. "But we can't just stand here in the kitchen speculating and focusing on the things that have nothing to do with our kid's happiness."

"You're right," Annie sighed.

"You know what I think?" Auggie murmured.

"What do you think?"

"I think you like her."

"Do not."

"Do totally."

Annie smiled in spite of herself. "Maybe. Whatever."

"Go apologize. For Evan's sake, at least. Believe me, not having your parents like your significant other is a special kind of rough. My mom hated all of our girlfriends at first."

Annie froze. "Your parents liked me right?"

Auggie tried to stifle a laugh. "Of course, darling, everyone loves you."

Annie swatted him on the arm. "Go eat your turkey."

He returned with a pat on the rear. "Go make me."


	25. Thanksgiving Part 5

Auggie sent Annie and Evan into the kitchen to do the dishes, and invited Kat into the living room. No need to make the guest feel any weirder, and anyway, he wanted to talk to her without Annie's judgment or Evan's bias.

"So how'd you and Evan really meet?" Auggie asked.

Kat gave a low, embarrassed chuckle. "We met at a party."

"I thought so," Auggie said.

"Does Evan meet a lot of girls at parties?" she asked.

"I don't know about introductions," Auggie said diplomatically. "But my son loves a good party. Did he use a line on you?"

Kat gave that laugh again. "No, actually. We just stepped outside and got to talking."

"And you haven't stopped since."

"No, sir, we haven't."

"And the thing with his head?"

"A total accident," she groaned. "I feel awful. I left a box in the middle of the room..."

"It happens," Auggie said seriously. "It's happened before, it'll happen again."

"Oh, don't say that!"

"The way I see it, it's not love until you've seen the guy fall down the stairs."

"I really hope you're joking."

"I am," Auggie cracked a smile. "Loosen up, kid. He's gonna heal fine. You saddled yourself with the second most self-sufficient blind guy in the world. And I think he might actually have me beat."

"Wow. Really?" Kat genuinely sounded surprised.

"Look, before I met my wife, I never really asked for help. And when I needed it, I felt weird about asking. But Evan... Evan doesn't even ask. He'll just walk his ass right into a wall."

"He asks for help!" Kat insisted.

"Well then I'm sorry, but you might be stuck with him," Auggie chuckled.

"So what changed when you met your wife?" Kat asked.

"Huh?"

"You said you never liked to ask for help before you met your wife. What changed?"

Auggie smirked. "I stopped having to ask. She was just kind of there."

"She ever leave a box in the middle of the room?"

Auggie laughed aloud. "When we were first married, she thought it'd be fun to surprise me with a new coffee table."

"Oh?"

"My shins were _shocked."_

Kat laughed in spite of herself. "That's horrible! I'm so sorry for laughing."

"You can't sweat this stuff," Auggie said.

"I just don't want to screw this up," Kat said quietly.

"If something freaks you out, you have to talk it out as a couple," Auggie advised. "Believe me. Some days are realer than others."

"Okay."

"But, for the record, you are exactly the kind of girl Annie and I hoped Evan would end up with."

"Really?"

"Well, I mean, neither of us had money on a redhead," Auggie joked. "But that's still negotiable."

...

Auggie and Annie were called into work at the last minute, leaving Kat and Evan with the house to themselves. After spouting off an endless and classic list of house rules, the door closed and locked behind them.

Evan sat on the sofa, the fire to his right and Kat on his left. She suddenly stood and left the couch.

"There are so many photos on your mantle," she commented. "Packed in there."

"Ironic, right?"

"Is this you?" Kat asked.

Evan bit his lip to keep from laughing. It was a moment before she realized what she'd said.

"Oh gosh! I mean... I think it's you. It looks like you. It's you, right?"

"Are you having a stroke?"

"It's just weird... That you can't tell me who these people are."

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely, standing and facing the fireplace. "Would if I could."

She put her arm around him and he embraced her with both of his. "I talked to your dad," she said.

"I'm sorry," he laughed.

"He likes me."

"For once, the old man and I agree," Evan said, kissing the top of her head.

"He said we're good together."

"Do you think we're good together?"

"I haven't seen you walk into a wall yet," Kat reasoned.

"Well, you know, that's the soulmate test."

"This beats the hell out of Thanksgiving with my family."

"This beats the hell out of Thanksgiving with _my _family."

They made out in front of the fireplace for a few more minutes.

Evan pulled away and frowned. "Did my dad really tell you I walk into walls?"

"It's okay," Kat said. "That was before you met me."


	26. Anniversary

_A brilliant prompt by the lovely Epona3_

* * *

Annie logged off her computer, rose from her desk and twisted, gently cracking her back. It was getting late- 8 p.m. at least. She slipped her heels back onto her feet and blinked away a long day in front of the computer.

The DPD was kind of nice at night. The halls were never empty here, but they were emptier after hours. Even after twenty-five years at the Agency, Annie relished the click-clack of her heels on the slick marble floors. It was one of the few times she felt like a real spy, the kind in the movies. Nothing like model-walking the halls of the Central Intelligence Agency to make a girl feel like the head bitch in charge.

Annie sauntered into Auggie's office without knocking. It really was a beautiful office, with not-awful artwork and a very expensive view. Annie figured if her husband couldn't enjoy it, she'd have to enjoy it double.

Usually, at this hour, Auggie could be found hunched over his computer, or absorbed in a memo, or ripping someone a new asshole over the phone. But not tonight. Tonight he sat at his desk, leaned back in his chair, doing absolutely nothing.

There were times in their marriage that Annie felt her very presence was an interruption. Auggie could have chosen to spend his entire life in solitude. Maybe he would've. But that was before. Before she knew him, before they were together, before they became a team. Having people around was good for him. It provided him an escape, context for the world around him. It kept him engaged. But there were moments in which Annie knew he needed solitude. He needed to process. His was a life that was constantly interrupted.

So Annie didn't interrupt. She stopped short two steps into his office and quietly slipped her shoes off. He either didn't notice or didn't care. She crept, in stocking feet, across the room to the window. Annie forced herself to enjoy the view of the city rather than the view of Auggie. It wasn't privacy with a voyeur involved.

"Hey," he said, not even attempting to place her location.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"The stocking feet thing is a nice touch."

"Thank you very much."

He sighed, raked his hands through his hair. "You gonna stay all the way over there?"

"I'm awarding you your privacy," she said, approaching the desk. "Remember, we discussed it in therapy?"

"Come here," he stood and extended a hand. She took it and he moved her so she faced away from him, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"We didn't discuss _this _in therapy," she giggled.

"Don't bring therapy into this," he said, kissing her shoulder. His kiss was almost hungry, the kind of kiss one gives when they live in fear of never getting another.

"You all right?" she asked softly.

"No," he said.

"Rough day at work?"

"No," he repeated.

Annie didn't request anything further. When Auggie wanted to tell her, she'd be-

"Today marks a very special anniversary."

Ready. Annie would be ready. "What anniversary is that?"

Auggie closed his eyes, as if bracing himself to speak his tormentor's name aloud. "As of today, the time I have been blind surpasses the time I could see."

"That is a special anniversary," she said, her voice nearly a whisper. "Any thought as to how you might want to celebrate?"

Auggie managed a hint of amusement. "You're a piece of work, Walker."

_"This_ anniversary you remember," she planted a gentle kiss on her husband's cheek, and an even gentler one on his mouth. "Come on, Captain. It's quitting time."

She slipped her shoes back on and waited for him to shut it down for the day. He swapped canes, and donned his trench coat. And that night, the pair walked hand in hand through the rainy streets of DC, acknowledging the darkness and refusing to let it control them.


	27. Neshama Part 1

When she saw the man in her office at the DPD, Annie thought she might be hallucinating. He was a ghost, after all, at least as far as she was concerned. He looked ghostlier than last time, but three decades made for an effective buffer. His hair was longer but not too long, just enough so that he could tuck it behind his ears. It held shades of pewter and frost, striking against his tanned skin and white teeth.

He flashed her the full set. "Hello Neshama."

Annie squared her shoulders, refused to be flustered. "So you're the reason no one in my department is getting any work done."

Eyal cocked his head and gave her a teasing grin. "Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

"Do you see one around?" Annie joked, giving into a hug.

"Look at you," Eyal stepped back, as if admiring a sculpture. "Time has done you a good turn."

"Can I get that in writing?" Annie laughed. "You're not looking so bad yourself. The last time I saw you, you were en route to Greece. Out of the game."

Eyal grinned. "There is no such thing, I've discovered."

Annie gestured to her office as she took a seat behind her desk. "Apparently not, seeing as you're my ten o'clock. What do you want, Eyal?"

Eyal crossed his legs and leaned towards her. "How is Auggie?"

"He's well," Annie said, holding up her bejeweled left hand. "What do you want, Eyal?"

"You are a good spy, always have been, but I think the desk has made you rusty."

"Says the man who's been squirreled away in Greece for the past 30 years," Annie said coolly.

"A Mossad man does not squirrel," Eyal snapped.

Annie scoffed. "When was the last time you were a Mossad man?"

"The place came under new management," Eyal said. "They went back to needing friends in low places, and I went back to wearing a shirt on the weekdays."

"I am going to give you one last chance to assert your demands before I push the eject button," Annie said calmly. "I am responsible for a lot of good people who need to earn their paychecks."

"Very well," Eyal said. "I've come to get you and your husband back in the field. And I have been ordered not to take 'no' for an answer."


	28. Neshama Part 2

Annie didn't say a word to Auggie. She didn't even give Eyal a chance to explain himself. She showed him the door, and slipped a note into the pocket of his coat. Then she went right back to work and waited.

"What're you making?" Auggie asked later that night as Annie seared chicken breasts on the stove.

"Chicken marsala," she said. "We have company coming over."

"Wait, what?" Auggie froze, his beer suspended midway out of the fridge.

"Didn't I tell you?" she tried to play the coy card.

"You didn't," he said flatly. "Who are we expecting at this hour?"

"Just an old friend."

"Annie, it's like 9 PM."

"It's a European dinner. Whatever. Get over it."

There was a knock at the door, feather-light. Annie doubted she'd have heard it if there hadn't been a break in the conversation, but Auggie was all over it.

"Right on cue," he said in an irritated tone, heading for the door.

Annie set the pan on a cool burner and slipped out to watch the interaction in the foyer. This was going to be a million-dollar reunion. She could feel it.

"Who is it?" Auggie asked through the door.

"A friend," Eyal said through the door.

Auggie paused and frowned, trying to place the voice. He had a lot of voices in his arsenal, but Annie was curious to know how long he held onto them.

"Annie?" he called in a low voice.

"Yeah, babe?" she tried to keep the smile out of her voice.

"Why is Eyal Lavin on our porch?"

"I smelled your wife's cooking all the way across the Atlantic," Eyal said from the other side of the door.

Reluctantly, Auggie reached up and unlocked the door. Eyal greeted him with a hug and a slap on the back.

"Auggie Anderson," Eyal said declaratively.

"Eyal Lavin," Auggie said, grinning in spite of himself.

"How in the hell are you?" Eyal demanded. "What am I saying? You are married to a beautiful woman and you have a beautiful home."

Annie took this as her cue to put her arm around her husband. "Eyal, I've got dinner going and a fridge full of beer. Make yourself at home."

As the three of them entered the kitchen, Auggie turned to kiss her cheek, and she could've sworn she heard him whisper, "He wants something."

Dinner conversation was lively, if a calculated attempt to beat around the bush. Not once did Eyal divulge his business with Auggie, and not once did Auggie ask. Rather, the men began to recap the past thirty years for the other's enjoyment.

"As it turns out, I'm not such a natural fisherman," Eyal laughed, taking a swig of his beer. "The Aegean is so salty you could float a freight train."

"Maybe you just didn't know where to look," Auggie joked.

"Could've used your keen eye, my friend," Eyal joked back.

Conversation shifted to the kids, funny stories about Billy and Evan. Annie noticed that Auggie was shy to divulge any real details, anything that could later be used against them. She wondered if it was the time lapse that made him suspicious, or the man himself.

Finally, sometime after midnight when the bottles had piled up and the chicken was long gone, Auggie got to the point.

"Why are you here, Eyal?"

"Am I not allowed to drop by for a visit?"

Auggie frowned. "Yeah, any time over the last 30 years. You turn up out of the blue uninvited, I'm going to have my suspicions."

Annie bit her lip. "Maybe he just hoped we'd see his face and that we'd be reminded that for him, it isn't over."

Auggie realized his choice of words and laughed in spite of himself. Eyal looked perplexed. Annie waved it off.

"I came with a business proposal."

Auggie stopped laughing. "What business is it of ours?"

"I'm back with Mossad," Eyal explained gruffly. "And we need CIA cooperation. You two are in charge of the DPD."

"Did you contact the DCS?" Auggie snapped.

"I had my clearance to visit your wife this afternoon," Eyal said calmly.

Auggie's jaw tightened, but he kept his attention on Eyal. "What kind of cooperation are you talking about?"

"I've been tasked with getting you two back in the field."

"I don't like it," Auggie said firmly.

"Come on," Eyal countered. "Just one for old times' sake."

Auggie scoffed. "Old times' sake. 'Old' being the operative word. I passed sixty a couple miles back, where have you been?"

"Right there with you," Eyal said. "Age is just a number."

"I wasn't sanctioned for field work back then," Auggie refuted. "And I'm certainly not sanctioned now. Neither is Walker, for that matter."

Eyal turned to Annie, sporting a teasing grin. "Walker? So you kept your name. How progressive."

"What have you even been up to these past three decades?" Auggie demanded. "Because we've been building a life together. With kids and a house. It would sure put a damper on things if one of us were to come back full of lead."

"Again," Annie added, unhelpfully.

"I've built a good life myself," Eyal said. "And, for the record, all three of my ex-wives took my name."

"How progressive," Auggie snarked.

"Three shiksa goddesses and a fishing boat were nice, but they weren't right for me. I was built for field work, and so are you and so is your wife."

"Don't talk about Annie like she isn't here," Auggie snapped. "What's the mission?"

"There's an American and an Israeli being held hostage, and we need to get them out."


	29. Neshama Part 3

"House-sit?" Evan frowned into the phone. "This weekend? I don't think I can."

"We'll pay for your plane ticket home," Auggie bartered, pacing the perimeter of the kitchen. "Cab home from the airport, stocked fridge, 1500 channels. You'd have the whole place to yourself."

"I have an exam scheduled with special services this afternoon," Evan said, massaging the bridge of his nose to stave off the irritation gathering in his sinus region.

"Perfect!" Auggie jumped on the end of his son's sentence. "Your mom will book you a red eye for tonight."

"Dad," Evan groaned. "Where are you and Mom even going?"

"Atlanta," Auggie lied. "For work."

"Atlanta," Evan repeated skeptically. "And how long will you be gone?"

"We'll be back Monday night."

"By which you mean, Wednesday morning."

"As of right now, I mean Monday night."

"Well I hate to break it to you, Pops, but I have that same idiot's econ class at 9 a.m. Monday morning."

"Come on," Auggie countered. "You're the most infamous party animal on the Eastern seaboard and you're telling me you've never missed a class?"

"I'm telling you that my life is all about balance."

"You can bring Kat," Auggie tried his last bargaining chip.

"Sorry, Dad. She's got econ, too," Evan said. "Guess you'll have to get Prince William to watch the place."

Auggie grunted in response, hoping to illustrate his disappointment to the fullest extent.

"Have fun in Hotlanta!" Evan cheered as Auggie hung up the phone.

"Can he do it?" Annie asked, her heels clicking on the kitchen tiles.

"No, he chose this weekend to buckle down and actually attend class," Auggie said.

"So ask Billy!" Annie said.

"I would, but I'm pretty sure he's your handler."

"Damn it," Annie hissed. "So what do we do?"

"Why don't you just get the CIA to watch your house and the NSA to bug your phones?" Eyal asked, entering the room and dropping what sounded like a backpack on the kitchen table. "They're doing it anyway."

"Cynicism not appreciated," Annie mumbled.

"Your children sound like upstanding citizens," Eyal commented. "I say that sincerely."

"I love my boys," Annie said. "They're good kids."

"Let's hope they stay out of harm's way," Eyal said.

"I hope that every day," Auggie muttered. "But I'm sure my parents hoped that for me, too."

"Do they know what you do?" Eyal asked.

"They do," Annie said. "To some degree."

"They know we're CIA," Auggie sighed.

"You read them in."

"It was a tough decision," Auggie explained. "But it happened organically."

"Do you regret it?" Eyal asked.

"Every day," Auggie said. "But you can't take it back."


	30. Neshama Part 4

Annie, Auggie and Eyal arrived in Guatemala around two in the morning. The mission wasn't complicated. An Israeli and an American operative were supposed to be posing as a couple, in the interest of getting intel off a notorious arms dealer. Apparently, they hadn't been convincing enough. The arms dealer was demanding several million dollars in return for their release.

"Part of the reason the couple didn't catch, was because of their age," Eyal explained when they arrived at the safe house in Antigua. "These mobsters are old men. They want to deal with people they think hold some sort of authority."

"That's ridiculous," Annie said, thinking back to her days as a young operative. "We accomplished so much at such a young age."

"Some people just want the damn kids off their lawn," Auggie said, doing a quick sweep of the room with his cane.

"We should really get some sleep," Annie said. "Auggie and I will take the bed, you take the couch?"

Eyal nodded in resignation. "I asked for a double, but those damned government agencies..."

"It's almost as if they have better things to do," Auggie said sarcastically.

"I remember when I could sleep on a sofa without waking up feeling like it was the end of the world," Eyal griped.

"If you don't miss those days, you're not human," Auggie quipped. "You're right. It's not fair; we can take shifts."

"I don't want to be here more than one night," Eyal said firmly.

The bed was uncomfortable- a rickety wooden frame and a hard coil mattress. The place was sweltering hot; Auggie stripped down to his undershirt and boxers. Annie snatched his discarded shirt and changed into it under the covers.

She didn't get a wink of sleep.

About the time the sun made an appearance, Eyal began to stir. She heard him rise and dress, and start a pot of coffee. He waited until it was ready, poured a cup and left.

Annie ran her fingers through her hair and pulled on some pants. Auggie, usually a fitful sleeper, was completely out beside her. It was barely five. He could afford a few more minutes of sleep.

Annie hastily fixed her own cup of coffee and scurried out the door. She spotted Eyal on the outside patio and slowly approached.

"Good morning," she said quietly, cupping her mug and feeling the jet lag melt away with every sip.

"Buenos dias, neshama," Eyal gave her a bright smile.

"It's good to see you smile," Annie commented.

"Likewise," Eyal said. "It's good to see you at all."

"I can't believe it's been this long since..."

"Since I asked you to run away with me."

"Yeah, since that."

"You said you wanted to put down roots," Eyal mused. "And I thought, who is this woman? But then you did it."

Annie blushed, unsure if he was speaking from a place of nostalgia or disappointment. "Timing is everything."

"But I was still right."

"About what?"

"I predicted you and I would be watching the sun, doing nothing at all together, and here we are."

"Cheers to that," Annie raised her mug. "This is the best coffee I've ever had, by the way."

"Welcome to South America, neshama," Eyal took a final sip, draining his cup, and turned to her. "So. You and Auggie."

"Me 'n Auggie," Annie smiled in spite of herself.

"I always knew."

"I think a lot of people knew before I did," Annie admitted.

"You have the rest of your life to make it up to him," Eyal shrugged.

"So why did you ask me to run away, if you knew?"

"It was a long time ago," Eyal said. "I knew what was going to happen- Auggie was so passionate about you. He still is. But I thought there was some part of you that wasn't going to be anyone's Good Woman. I wanted to see that part." He paused, a grin playing at his lips. "Naked. On a beach in Greece."

"You have to watch it," Annie laughed. "You're fast moving into Dirty Old Man territory."

"I embrace it," Eyal said. "I'm prepared to be a classic."

"We should all be so confident."

"We should," Eyal said seriously. There was a long pause. "What's it like, your life with Auggie?"

"Natural," Annie said. It was the first word that came to her mind, and it felt right. "We just fit together."

"So, easy, then."

"Almost never," Annie laughed.

"But you're happy with the roots you've chosen to plant."

Annie licked her lips, considering the perfect explanation. "I am thankful things took the direction they did."


End file.
